The White Nin
by Sail.on.Harper
Summary: SEQUEL TO ASHES OF A WARRIOR - read AOAW first. 10 months have passed and Maia is in the Akatsuki Mercenary group with a new team. Kakashi is AWOL from Konoha. KakaxOC. Much violence/smut later on. M for a reason.
1. Chapter 1

**The White Nin contains spoilers from Naruto Shippuuden. Don't read if you don't want to know.**

_The woman stumbled when she was thrust forwards. The binds around her wrists were cut roughly, the blade nicking the inside of her arm. Hands finally free, she tore off her blindfold; it had been on for hours. She was in a room which was pitch black, aside from the yellow square of light let in by the open door. _

"_We'll be back in a day or two, for whoever is left." A man's rasping voice floated from the doorway. She spun around to view the speaker, but the door slide shut; the resulting bang echoing distantly. The room must be large. She walked backwards towards the door, feeling blindly for a wall. The woman's trembling hands brushed rough concrete, and she pressed herself to it. Her heart throbbed in panic. She didn't know where she was, or what she was to do._

_The silence pressed in on her; surely she would go mad if this carried on. Where was she? What had he said? "_We'll be back…for whoever is left".

_Whoever was left?_

_...So there were others in here?_

_No sooner than the thought drifted into her head did she begin to sense it. Movement in the dark; stirring, then footsteps. A low chuckle._

_She swallowed hard, eyes straining against the dark. There were others, and they were meant to fight each other…to the death? They weren't concerned with being quiet now, and every now and then there would be a gasp, the spurting noise of blood, the sound of metal slicing through the air. The battle had already begun._

_She shut her eyes. She needed to stay calm and focus on chakra signals._

_She slowed everything, her breath, her heartbeat and branched out her energy, feeling for spaces in the air, where people would be. No good, the people in here were good enough to know how to block the signals. Others who wanted to get in to the group. Ninja._

_She realized that these were try-outs._

_More and more noise; screams and hisses and curses. But everything stayed black. No one was risking Ninjutsu._

_She hadn't eaten in days, and she had been traveling for so long. Energy levels were low; the only way to get out of this was to fight, but the only way she could do that would be to use…_

_But she had been ordered not to. Before she was taken and blindfolded, taken away from him, he had told her not to use it, if they saw - if anyone found out what she had…_

_Her eyes snapped opened. Air whipped against her face as something rushed by. It didn't notice her. Its footsteps grew distant until someone else screamed and thudded to the floor. Something wet touched her bare feet; she hoped it was just water. She peered into the darkness again, her eyes gradually adjusting to the gloom. Every now and then she could catch sight of a figure darting by. _

_It was her only chance to survive, and if she could not let herself get caught, she would just have to leave no survivors. One last time couldn't hurt._

_The hairs on her arms stood on end, and she knew someone was watching her. Two large round reflective eyes, like a cats, flashed at her in the darkness. The thing let out a guttural groan, and swayed slightly. It sized her up, considering the best way to kill the new-comer. From what the creature could tell, she didn't look like she would be much trouble._

_The woman gritted her teeth; she didn't like the way the thing stared at her. She was tired and hungry and now she was scared. The special supply of chakra bubbled to the surface; she could not have stopped it if she tried. She lit up the arena entirely and immediately clothes-lined the ninja sprinting towards her. His legs swung into the air and she wrenched the knife from his grip, sinking it into his chest before he hit the bloody ground.  
At least a dozen other bodies were scattered on the floor.  
The battling stopped, and fifty or so ninjas glared back at her. Some were sitting against the wall, waiting for the weaker ones to kill each other off so as to conserve energy. _

_These were ones to worry about._

_They were all monstrous and powerful, but they were much in the same state as her. They all wore the same smug expression, assuming that she had just inadvertently made herself a target by lighting up. She smiled back grimly, knowing their thoughts and willing them towards her all the same. They would learn to judge on appearances._

_They had to read what was underneath the underneath._

_She gripped her weapon tightly before she bolted forwards in a burst of white light…_

Kakashi shot up, waking abruptly from his dream. He was covered in sweat and his heart was pounding. He looked around, forgetting where he was for a moment. The cold night air swirled around him, and he pulled the blankets he had kicked off in his sleep tightly around his shoulders. His dogs were scattered around him, snoring softly. Only Pakkun had woken when he sat up. The small dog raised its ears in question.  
Kakashi ignored him, and it settled back into sleep. He covered his eyes with his hand, trying to remember his dream. He had been having these nightmares for months now, but it was always the same story. He would wake, shaken and was only ever able to remember a flash of bright light and a feeling of dread.

And it was always to do with her.

He forced himself to his feet; he would feel better once he walked this off. Kakashi moved quietly past his dogs and into the surrounding forest. He could hear water up ahead and made his way quickly towards it. The sun would rise soon, and it would be back to training.

He cleared the forest and arrived at the stream. He splashed cold water onto his face, clearing his head and waking him up properly. He gazed down at his reflection with disdain. He didn't bother with his mask out here, there was no point. But now he was forced to look at the state he was in. Dark circles ran under his eyes, and he hadn't shaved in days. His face was gaunt from training to exhaustion every day, but he couldn't slow down. Akatsuki grew stronger by the minute and he had to be ready for when things finally came to a head. He would need to be strong enough to take her back.

The village had not obtained any information as to the Akatsuki whereabouts or plans for three months after Maia deserted, but just before Kakashi had left, there had been a breakthrough. Uchiha Itachi and his partner had been spotted in the Lightening country.

Maia had not been with them.

Her welfare and whereabouts were unknown, though several black ops teams had been deployed to find her.  
He tried to think of her as little as possible.  
She had been an enemy all this time and he hadn't realized, and still he could not help but go over the few months she had lived in Konoha again and again. How could he have not realized her intentions? Wasn't he an elite ninja? Shouldn't he have known the minute she set foot over the gateway?

He rubbed his eyes again. It was hopeless to rehash this; it was a waste of time, and it would drive him to distraction. That was part of the reason he left the village, to get away from the memories. The people who knew their story and watched him with worry.

He had stayed for three months after Maia disappeared and thrown himself into his work. His wound had healed quickly, and he was surprised not to have a scar. He demanded mission after mission, taking the most dangerous without a second thought. It was a distraction to his failure, and it had worked until the Hokage finally caught up to him in her paperwork and realized what he was doing. Tsunade had forced him to take leave, and so he did just that.

He left.

He ran off into the wilderness, and he had been roaming around for maybe four months now. He would need to go back soon, when he mastered his new technique with the Sharingan.

He sighed and straightened.

The sun would be up in a few hours, and there was no chance of sleep now.

He forced the lasting images of his dream from his mind, and prepared to train.

**This chapter is just a short introduction to Part two to get things moving and create a sense of time – I didn't want to just totally jump over the two and a half years, so bear with me here. The second chapter is much longer, and I am just beginning to edit it. It should be up soon.**


	2. Chapter 2

The night sky was lit up by the flaming village. It was a dark husky orange, and plumes of black smoke weaved upwards towards it. The air was riddled with crackling and spitting as the houses around me melted back into the earth. Blood spattered the streets, and there were many black lifeless lumps strewn around the roads.  
Somewhere in the distance I could hear someone crying; even further away were the noises of battle. It's amazing that anyone could still carry on after this.

I leaned back against a burnt post and closed my eyes to the fires. It was supposed to be a simple assassination assignment. Someone in the village had contacted the Akatsuki mercenaries, with an order to kill Hara Rokku, Feudal Lord of the region. He was going to be passing through the Areno village during a tour of his country, and we were supposed to intercept him. But the guy I assigned the job of assassination to was too busy talking to one of the local girls to notice the Lord pass idly by. Once he realized his mistake, he panicked, and attacked Rokku at the village entrance. The nearby villagers rushed in to protect their leader. Those who had hired us turned on the loyal citizens, and what was meant to be a cut and dry mission had exploded into a two day civil war.

"Oy, oy, princess, not resting on the job, are you?"

And here was the idiot who started it all. Too busy chasing skirts to pay attention to the job we had been assigned. The idiot that had caused so many deaths within Areno. I wrinkled my nose before opening my eyes. He stood out from the smoke, smirking lazily at me. His tousled hair shone gold in the firelight, and many small pointed teeth gleamed at me. His eyes were dark and lifeless. This was Ruso Lair, fellow teammate and current bane of my existence. He had probably been very handsome once, and I could think of a few women who would still swoon at the sight of him, but I knew better. He considered himself a lady's man, but truth be told, he was an utter maniac; blood-thirsty and unpredictable.

"What the hell do you want? You created this mess, you clean it the hell up." I snarled at him before I pushed myself away from the post and started stalking down the street. Rumor had it that before he transferred to my team, he had murdered his first two teammates out of sheer boredom. The powers at Akatsuki had liked his 'spirit' and stuck him with me. And now I was the captain of this mission, and expected to keep him in line.  
Too frigging late.

"Don't be like that, love. It's not like many of them were a threat."

"Yes, but now we have at least 100 people dead, we've garnered the attention of the surrounding nations and we still haven't taken out the target. So yeah I will be _like that_!" I rounded on him. He took a step back and held his hands up in defeat.  
I was one of the lucky few that could speak this way to him without being decapitated for the effort.

I continued down the smoky street, stepping over the odd body. Ruso followed at a distance, sulking and plotting.

"Where's Kade?" I tossed over my shoulder. Half a house had fallen into the street; I started climbing up it carefully.  
"Haven't seen him since yesterday." Ruso muttered shortly, kicking at the wreckage. The structure wobbled dangerously. I growled at him and waited for it to stop moving before I continued up. I reached the top and sighed, wiping my sweaty hair out of my eyes. I was exhausted. Two days without food, water or rest. But we would not be able to return to the Akatsuki with an unfinished mission. We had to regroup and figure out what to do next.

I formed hand signs, before whipping one hand up into the air. A white bird shot from my fingertips and disappeared in a flash of white light.  
It seemed like more than just a year ago that I created the messenger jutsu; I had since made a few modifications. Seek and report being one. The bird would search for the person I wanted and implode on its success. The path of its flight was sent back to me, much like those who used shadow clones, and I could follow the trail like a map to the location of that person.  
A whole year. I had been away for that long…

Something of my day dream must have shown on my face, for next minute Ruso was standing in front of me, nearly nose to nose. I jumped back and nearly lost my balance.

"Ruso! What the hell?"  
"No need to dream about me babe, I'm right here." He said smoothly, flashing those teeth at me again.

I regained some self control, and breathed out heavily.

"Do that again,' I said evenly, 'and I break your nose. Got it?"

His reply was blocked out by a sudden rushing noise in my ears. I was looking down on Kade. He was standing in the middle of an advancing circle of people, and I could sense his nervousness about the situation. Kade was almost always impossible to rattle; this meant things were bad.

"…That Uchiha git." Ruso was finishing, having not noticed any change in me.

"Ruso, its Kade, Upper East Quarter Exit. Go now!"

I leapt off the debris and landed silently on the street, before running as hard as I could to my teammate. A flash of gold crackled above me; Ruso was already gone. A lasting piece of gold snapped back and stung my shoulder. Frigging lightening types. His special ability lay in being able to transform mass to electricity; he was probably already with Kade.

I, however, had to go on foot. Itachi had sealed the Hou-ou a year ago, and ordered me not to undo the spell or use my blood-line trait under any circumstances. When I told him that I had used it to win the 'try-out's' he had been furious. However, I had left none alive, so there were no witnesses to expose what I did. The Akatsuki figured that I was a prodigy.

Itachi had, in the meantime, found a way to keep Kisame quiet about the night I left, as he was convinced that with the latest Jinchurriki campaign, I would end up on Akatsuki's wanted list.

Not that I had seen much of those two, or any key members of Akatsuki. After I was taken from Itachi and completed the initiation, I was placed in a team and then a training program for Akatsuki militants. I saw Itachi once a month during my progress report. As it turns out, you can't just wander up to the Akatsuki and ask to be a member. You had to work your way up the ranks, and only after one of the ten members died did you have a chance of being picked to take their place.

I knew nothing more of Konoha.

The voices I had noted earlier on were getting louder, and a yellow light would flash in the sky every so often. Ruso and Kade had started the fight. I forced myself to go faster; it wasn't like I couldn't. I was faster than Gai now, but it still wasn't enough.

Someone screamed, and it chilled me to the bone. I was sure that sounded like Ruso.

The smoke began to thicken, and I struggled not to trip as I ran. The flashing suddenly ceased, and I rounded the corner of another flaming house. I finally saw the source of the commotion. Kade was standing in a pool of blood, clutching the stump of his freshly removed arm; Ruso was face down on the ground and lay unmoving. I stopped running and threw myself behind a pile of smoking debris, and took a moment to assess the situation. Even though I hated my teammates, I would have some explaining to do if I returned without them.

Kade swayed, eyeing up his enemy. I could practically see his brain ticking away. There was no supposing that Kade was ever handsome. He was like a corpse on strings. Kade was terrifying at all times, and it was strange to see him in this state. He was unnaturally thin, and his skin was white and waxy. His hair lay matted and long around his thin face, drawing more attention to the eyes that were entirely black, no whites at all. He wore a mask over his mouth, and I had been initially fascinated by what lay beneath. I wish I had never seen it. Where his mouth should have been was a large gaping hole, out of which something I can only describe as 'black light' spewed forth, and left people dead on their feet.

The mask was long gone now, and he swayed slightly on the spot, watching his attackers. He was tired, and I couldn't sense his chakra signals. He must nearly be out.  
The people standing around him I recognized as the Hara Rokku's Court, there were seven men in total, and standing in the shadows behind them was…

"Bastard." I muttered under my breath. Kade twitched slightly; he knew I was here.  
There was nothing for it; I would have to save them. I moved swiftly and silently back into the shadows and circled around the group. There were two men before the Lord. Easily done.

My knife was ready, and I didn't pause as I ran them through. The group scattered, dragging the Feudal Lord away from my desperate hands. Before I had time to counter, a knee sunk itself into my stomach, and I was thrown backwards.

Something cracked as I hit the ground, and the air rushed from my lungs. Above me the world spun crazily, and blackness edged my vision. I shut my eyes, waiting for the pain to pass. I guess I was lower on chakra than I thought.

"Get up girl" Kade ordered hoarsely.

I opened my eyes, and saw his lifeless face bear down on me. He let go of his stump of an arm and grabbed me at my shoulder. His grip was like iron, and he lifted me straight up into the air before propping me up on my feet. I grasped my ribs; sure I had broken one from the force of the fall.

"What happened to him?" I gasped, nodding in Ruso's direction. Kade turned back to the men still standing, his face contorted with pain and anger.

"He lost an eye and passed out. Pathetic." He snarled at me. "Anyway, I cannot use any jutsu now with this,' he waved his stump at me, 'have you got any suggestions?"

Yeah. Piss off and leave you with these guys.

I slowly raised my hands to my hair, not wanting to provoke an attack quite yet, and pulled it up of my forehead and neck and tied it back.

I watched the men warily as they regrouped and began to fan out around us again; Rokku had two men guarding him. No matter what, we had to destroy the target. The enemy was drawing out their weapons, murmuring to each other about who to kill first.  
There was nothing for it. I could maybe take out the target, but the others would be too much for me in this state. I would have to call Itachi.

My hands blurred as I formed hand signs and shot the messenger into the air. The men lunged forwards, taking my queue to attack. Kade swooped low and shoved his shoulder into the nearest man's gut. I jumped over them both and threw myself at the guards. The tallest sunk his knife between my eyes and I released the shadow clone jutsu. I appeared behind him and stabbed a medical needle into his neck to immobilize him. I ducked with him as he fell and used his body as a shield against his teammate. The teammate hesitated about attacking through his partner, and it was enough of an opening for me to throw my knife into his chest. I ducked low to avoid a pair of Shuriken that came flying my way, and kicked my leg up to slam the knife in further. The man was thrown backwards into one of the burning houses.  
Rokku was a few feet in front of me; he barely had time to start to run after I took his guards out. I threw myself at him, when the hairs on the back of my neck prickled. Someone drove their elbow into the small of my back, slamming me into the ground. I hit my chin hard and stars burst into my vision. I tried to roll over to face my attacker, but he forced his knee into my back further and grabbed my ponytail, wrenching my head back. The cool metal of a blade pressed against my throat as I watched the Feudal Lord get further and further away.

My surroundings suddenly glowed gold and a crackling filled the air. The person on top of me stiffened and I felt him begin to fall forwards. His decent was halted and he was wrenched from me. I caught a brief glimpse of Ruso gripping the man by the front of his shirt, electricity crackling around them before I bolted upright into a run.  
The sounds of battle surrounded me, but I pushed them to the back of my mind. I jumped over one of the villagers and ducked a kunai that was sailing my way. Kade was battling furiously, and I had to brake suddenly to avoid a stream of black light that shot from his gaping mouth.

I lost the target.

Shit, where the hell did he go?

But there was a new problem. The sound of our battle had drawn attention, and more men were running into the fight from the cinders. I whirled around desperately, trying to see my team amongst the crowd, but it was impossible to tell friend from foe. My heart was beating in my ears, and my legs started going numb, whether from adrenaline or total panic; it was impossible to tell.

My vision blurred for the second time that night, and Itachi's red eyes were everywhere.

"I'm coming" was all I caught before the vision from my jutsu dissipated. It was time to end this.

I summoned the dregs of my chakra to the surface and concentrated it into my palm. I shut my eyes tight and focused on my surroundings. I could hear many, but now I could identify the sounds from my teammate's attacks. They were alive then. People were moving in on me; I could feel their chakras leap in my direction. The bomb started to shiver, but I held on. It only needed a few more seconds. My heart rate slowed and my panic ebbed.

I opened my eyes as the enemy ninja reached for me, and then I detonated the Sonic Bomb.

I was thrown to the ground and the resounding 'boom' left my ears ringing. Men dropped from the air around me, bleeding heavily. The few left standing swore, and I could hear retreating footsteps. No one knew what had happened. I couldn't sense Ruso or Kade anymore.

Everything hurt, and I couldn't get up. My chakra was gone; I barely had enough left to stay alive.

Something moved nearby, and I looked about for the source.

"…tachi?" I managed. No response.

There was the familiar 'shiing' noise of someone drawing a weapon and I knew immediately that this person was not Itachi.

I strained my eyes to see, and finally a man came into focus. He walked slowly towards me, holding his knife in front of him. His face was caked in blood, and his light eyes glinted in the moonlight. The Feudal Lord had survived. I clenched my teeth, and willed the hand still holding my kunai to move.

His breathing was ragged; and his walk was unsteady.

Finally he stood directly above me, weapon raised above his head.

"I'm sorry. It's nothing personal, girl." He murmured. "But I doubt you would leave me alone if I left you alive."

I said nothing. It was true, and it wasn't personal. I had a job to do, and he was just one unlucky man.

But know it seemed I was the unlucky one. Powerless and at the mercy of a man who wasn't even a ninja. I clenched my knife tightly and started pouring the last of my chakra over the blade. I wished for Itachi to hurry up. I could see Kade's pale skin out of the corner of my eye, and Ruso a little beyond that. Neither moved, and I wondered if calling out would stir them, or just cause my death all the quicker. I looked back up at Hara Rokku.

His knife was still raised above his head. His hands twitched downwards – but he hesitated.

I threw my kunai at him as hard as I could. It shot through his chest, his heart, his back. A second later the life dimmed from his eyes and he crumpled forwards. He crashed on top of me, and I shouted in pain from the sudden weight on my broken ribs.

I tried to push the dead man off of me, but my arms lay limp at my sides. I struggled to breathe deeply, but could only manage short smoke filled gasps. Silence settled like dust around me and I finally felt the true extent of my exhaustion. There was nothing to do now but wait for help to arrive, and so I shut my eyes and finally fell into sleep. 

* * *

Itachi walked silently over the battlefield, his Sharingan searching for anyone left alive. His stomach was tight with nerves, he had been sure that she could handle a mission like this, and yet she had to call for help. What had gone wrong?

"Rookies, eh' Kisame chuckled, tilting up a dead man's body with his foot. "Always making a damned mess. Leave it Itachi, there are more where these three came from in the Mercenaries."

Itachi suppressed his annoyance and continued sweeping his gaze over the scattered bodies.

"Pein likes these three. We have orders to bring them back."

Kisame muttered something under his breath, but continued to wander between the bodies, stopping now and then to poke one with his Samehada.

A woman's hand caught Itachi's eye, and he walked over to the owner. A man had fallen on top of her, obscuring her features from view, but he already knew who it was. He tossed the male body aside and stared down at the still face of Sumiko Maia. Her chakra glowed blue, moving sluggishly around her body, while a tiny ball of white rested in the middle of her stomach where he sealed the bird spirit.

"Found her." Itachi called over his shoulder before bending to pick her up. Kisame wandered over, barely sparing Mai a glance. He passed Itachi and walked a little ways further, before stopped in front of two other bodies. He nudged one onto its back, revealing one of Mai's teammates.

"Huh. Ugly son-of-a-bitch. Look at that arm. He's dead for sure."

Kisame stepped over the pale one, and bent down to the other; lifting his head by the hair.

"And this one isn't long for this world either. Just leave him."

"Kisame." Itachi said warningly. "They are both alive, and will survive with treatment. Bring them."

"I'm not touching that one. The thing with the mouth. Freak of nature."

"Just do it."

Kisame pulled a face of disdain. But he did as he was told all the same. Itachi started walking away as Kisame replaced his Samehada and created a clone. The clone lifted the creepy one, and he picked up the other. 

* * *

Itachi had been sitting there waiting for me to wake up, and was the first thing I saw when I opened my eyes.

"I'm in trouble, aren't I?"

He said nothing; instead he stared out the window. I was in a small empty room; my bed and the chair in which Itachi sat being the only furniture.

I sat myself up and held my head in my hands.

"Where are the others, did they survive?"

Itachi tore his gaze from outside and gave me the slightest of nods. I bit my lip and waited for him to speak again. He didn't seem angry, but then it was difficult to tell what he was thinking.

"Akatsuki aren't happy Mai. You were captain because they thought you could handle the mission. What happened?" He said quietly.

It wouldn't do to tell him about Ruso's actions that sparked the entire incident. I had to take responsibility for my team, and besides, I wiped just about everyone out with my bomb. I had killed the most.

"We missed the target, and the villagers got involved. The ones who hired us, versus those who remained loyal to Rokku. It was my fault; I couldn't keep my team under control. I managed to kill Hara Rokku, however, but only at the cost of many." I muttered into my lap.

Itachi stood up, finally focusing his attention on me.

"You made quite a scene. Konoha Nin showed up not long after Kisame and I retrieved you. You could have exposed all of Akatsuki to an enemy."

I swallowed hard. Yes, I was definitely in trouble.

"S-so, what's going to happen to me?"

Red eyes blazed into green.

"They made an exception because of who you are to me, but you have been suspended until further notice from the Mercenaries."

Shit. How would I ever infiltrate the organization now? It had barely been a year and I had screwed up already.

"And…?" I asked hopefully.

"I am to deal with you as I see fit."

I was about to ask just what the hell that meant, when the door of my room swung off its hinges. I jumped and reached for a weapon. Itachi looked livid, but didn't move to attack and I realized that the person couldn't have been an enemy. A shout was heard from the hallway before the man stepped in.

"OY KADE! She's here! Get in here and thank her for saving your sorry ass!"

Ruso stopped at the edge of my bed and grinning at me. Something crashed out in the hall, presumably an item Kade intended to hit Ruso. All of a sudden teaming up with Itachi didn't seem so worrying.

"How's it, Princess?" He said smoothly, ignoring Itachi entirely. I glared back at him, crossing my arms tightly over my chest. He had bandages wrapped around the left side of his face, covering up the missing eye. My heart skipped a beat when I saw it, but I forced myself to ignore the fleeting feeling. Itachi moved to my side, as if to protect me from an attack from the lunatic that just burst into my room.

The idiot sensed where I was looking.

"Yeah, I was kind of angry about the eye thing, but I think it has a kind of appeal. Especially to the ladies; battle scars and bravery and all that. Real sexy-like."

"You have a huge gaping hole in your head. That's not sexy, it's just stupid." I bit out, annoyed at how flippant he was acting.

He faltered, surprised at my reaction.

"Don't be like that Babe, I'm only joking arou-,"

"This entire thing was your frigging fault!" I shouted. "The whole reason that this mission went wrong was because you were too busy trying to chat up some village girl to take out the target! You haven't learned anything!" I got to my knees, ready to launch myself at Ruso.

"Is that true?" Itachi said sharply, stretching out an arm to force me back to the bed. His red eyes bored into Ruso's. Ruso sneered back.

"I made a mistake, yeah. But she was the captain; it's her job to keep me in check."

I clenched my teeth and tried to attack him again, but Itachi's arm had never wavered. Ruso's eye widened and he backed away from the end of the bed and watched me warily.

"You are a part of a team. You support your captain, and get the job done. Mai is going to be punished because of your mistake – she's lucky the others didn't decide to execute her." Itachi said evenly, barely concealing his anger. I stopped struggling and laid still. When he was like this it was better to make yourself scarce, and Ruso had better shut up if he wanted to live.

Lucky for him, he was able to sense the bloodlust radiating from Itachi and he stopped arguing. Everyone was silent for a moment, before Ruso exhaled.

"Fine. Sorry. It won't happen again."

"No, it won't." Itachi retorted, before walking around the bed to the door.

"I have to make my report. Behave yourselves until I return." He ordered, and left without looking back.

Ruso and I stared at each other awkwardly, scared that Itachi was still listening.

I started playing with the bed sheet, ignoring Ruso and willing him to leave. He walked over to the door and poked his head out, checking that Itachi had truly left, before coming back in and standing beside my bed.

"But seriously,' he said, pulling his headband down over his bandaged eye, 'don't I look good?"

I stared at the headband, and the man before me. The messy hair. The dark eye that gazed back. My heart started to beat faster.

"Y-you…" I stuttered. My cheeks heated up, and I couldn't tear my eyes away, he looked so much like…so much like…

"What?" Ruso asked flatly. The spell was broken. It wasn't him. It was just stupid Ruso with a wonky headband and a bad haircut.

"You look ridiculous." I finished.


	3. Chapter 3

"This is stupid."

I slouched in front of Itachi and glared at him. Normally I would rejoice at an opportunity like this, but nothing was ever easy going with this guy. My 'punishment' for the Areno Village debacle was to have the living crap beaten out of me by Itachi on a regular basis. We had spent the morning climbing up a cliff face, the top of which was a fairly large flat plane of space. It was sunny, and the forest shimmered far below. I made sure to stand far away from the edge; no one would survive that fall.

"No. It's not. You need to get strong enough to ensure something like this doesn't happen again."

Itachi un-did his Akatsuki jacket and tossed it aside. Underneath he wore typical dark blue training pants and a grey mesh armor shirt. His folded his arms across his chest, frowning at me. He had insisted that this was training, not beating me up for the fun of it, but he was miles stronger than me. Especially with the Hou-ou sealed away; I had no chance of a fair fight with the guy.  
Kisame sat a ways back with a smirk spread across his ugly face. He had been most excited to learn that I would be training with Itachi.

He didn't like me very much.

We had left the hospital almost immediately after Itachi made his report; he seemed quite keen to separate me from Ruso and Kade. I suggested that perhaps I should be spending more time with my team ,training to work together better. He said that if we weren't working well after a year, then something was wrong.  
And so his resolved to oversee my training personally.

I blew my hair out of my face grumpily; it was ridiculously long now. I was wearing a too big white t-shirt that hung off one shoulder and cut off at the waist and black training pants. My feet were bare, all the better to run away with.

"Fighting stance, Mai." Itachi ordered and took a few steps back; preparing himself to fight. I sighed and trudged backwards, tying my hair back as I went.

"So what are the rules?" I asked, pulling out a kunai and twirling it around one finger.

"Taijutsu to start. We'll work up to the rest. Now, attack me"

I nodded, gripped my weapon and ran at him. I stayed low, and when I was about a meter away I planted my hands on the ground, flipped over and slammed my heel into Itachi's chest. He didn't toppled back as I intended, instead grabbing my ankle with both hands. He swung my around and threw me at the edge of the cliff.

I was going too fast, I'd fall over the side. I pulled out another kunai and smashed it into the ground. I wrenched my shoulder on impact, but at least I stopped. No time to reflect on how close to death I had come however; I rolled away at the last second, and Itachi's heel slammed down an inch or so from my head. I concentrated my chakra to my hands and pushed myself upright. I charged at him again, feinting right before digging my elbow up and under his ribs. He grabbed my wrist and forced it high behind my back.

I fell to my knees in pain. His grip tightened and swayed my arm, threatening to break it. He planted his foot behind my knee, and held a kunai to my throat.

"This is the second time in ten seconds that I have been able to potentially kill you. _That _is stupid."

With one last push against my arm as a warning, he let go and walked around me. I stayed kneeling, furious at how easy it had been for him to beat me.

"Don't sit there plotting,' he uttered sharply over his shoulder. 'Get up and try again."

I was up and running before he finished the sentence.

* * *

"How-much-longer-are-we-doing-this?" I gasped from the ground, struggling to catch my breath. Itachi and I had been at it for hours without a break.

"Every day until you can match me."

"What?" I sat up and gawked at him. Every day? I'd die!

My surroundings suddenly went hazy, and then disappeared into blackness. For a moment I thought I'd passed out, but then I realized that Itachi was still before me. We were in his dimension.

"And,' he continued, as if he hadn't noticed the spell he cast over us, 'everyday until you are better than me."

We could talk freely here, because we weren't really talking. We were in a Genjutsu; in fact, the same one that left Kakashi comatose. I hoped he wasn't planning to torture me.

"But…why would you want that?"

I got up to face him, confused as to why a fellow ninja would want to get beaten up.

"Because,' he said. "I know you are here to stop Akatsuki taking the Jinchuuriki."

I couldn't breathe from sheer panic – how did he know that? Shit. Shit! He was going to kill me – he knew I was a traitor, he knew-,

"Stop panicking. I'm no fool; I knew that you didn't contact me for some sort of lovers reunion, or whatever lie you sent with that bird. I figured out what you were after at the start, so if I were going to kill you for it, you would be long dead."

That was true. I kept my guard up however; I pulled out a knife and held it in front of me in case he attacked. Though, I realized it was pointless. Itachi could do anything in this dimension without laying a finger on me. Look at what he did to Kakashi that time.

"So why haven't you killed me?" I said carefully, trying not to provoke an attack.

"Because. I want to see if you will succeed. Get stronger than me, and maybe you could take down certain members of the Akatsuki."

"And why would you want that?" I gaped at him. This made no sense; this was ridiculous.

"Besides, if that's the case,' I continued, 'why don't you just kill them yourself."

He walked towards me slowly; the shadow of a smile in his face.

"You are the one who came here to protect the nine-tails host. I won't do your dirty work, but I know that if the Akatsuki got hold of the Fox spirit, they would use it against Konoha."

"But Sasuke isn't even in the village any more, why protect it?"

Itachi gently removed the knife from my grasp.

"I killed my family to protect Konoha. That is too great a sacrifice for the village just to be destroyed by someone else. I wouldn't be able to fight the others and win now; I am not as strong as I used to be. But you owe me, for getting you this far, and for keeping your secret. I will train you to win."

* * *

Tsunade sighed wearily under the gloomy light of her office. It must have been the early hours of the morning by now, and she had barely made a dent in all the work piled up on her desk. Relations with the Rock country were shaky again; she would have Shizune organize a conference with the leader…Mission success rates were at an all time high, though the village struggled to keep up with the demand. Almost a quarter of the Konoha Black Ops were off chasing Sumiko; which was a necessary but costly and frustrating operation. It was all just a show for the higher ups.  
She pushed the papers away from her. Why was it, that every time she thought of Sumiko, she felt every inch her age?  
Updates on the Nin's progress were far and few between, as the Hokage knew would be the case.

She reached down and unlocked a drawer in her desk; all the most classified missions were stored here. She pulled out Sumiko Maia's file, which was a lot thinner than it had any right to be. She flipped through the documents again, trying to find information that she may have missed the first hundred times she read it.  
The Hokage had to admit, the Messenger Jutsu was a stroke of genius on the young ninja's behalf. She would make Mai teach it to Genin after her return…

Tsunade bit her lip. She had promised herself that Maia would come back; but she often doubted her decision to let the young woman go.  
After seeing the effect it had on Kakashi, whose whereabouts God only knew…not to mention the other Jonin; all of whom were angry and shocked.

But the sacrifice had not been without reward. Maia discovered Akatsuki's army; the mercenaries that they were building into elite ninja. Her eyes narrowed in on the report; the section where Mai described the initiation.

"…Locked in the dark for three days with fifty other ninja. More were added every day; forcing those who had been in there for longer to dig deep to fight the newer, healthier ones off…."

Mai mentioned nothing of how she survived the ordeal; which had undoubtedly been terrifying. Tsunade often wondered about the mental state the girl would come back in. She wondered if anyone would even be able to recognize her.  
Tsunade shook her head. She had to believe in her decision; after all, she would not have allowed such an operation to take place unless she had been absolutely positive that Sumiko could handle the harshest circumstances.

Still, thinking about it only made Tsunade feel hopeless. She had not had another report from Mai for two months; though she had heard rumors that she had something to do with the Areno tragedy a few weeks back…

Tsunade resealed the file and pulled a bottle of sake from under her desk. She had done enough for tonight. A nightcap would help her sleep…

Her pouring was interrupted by a frantic knocking at her door. She sighed and resisted the urge to punch something. Another disaster perhaps? Konoha was under attack? Something that would require her presence no doubt.

"What?" She barked. The door banged open and Shizune rushed over the threshold panting.

"I-it's Hatake Kakashi!" She nearly shouted, 'He's back!"

Tsunade took a sharp intake of breath, relief flooding her.

"Where is he?"

"Downstairs – I told him to wait because I didn't think you were still up but-,"

"Send him in, send him in!"

Shizune bolted from the room, and Tsunade listened to her dying footsteps. It was about time he returned. She'd given him sick leave and he had taken 6 months off. Young people today, frigging useless. Tsunade stood when she heard calm footstep approaching, and thought about the first thing to reprimand him about. Perhaps for sulking like a horny teenager. Or for taking advantage of her offer of leave.

She opened her mouth to let loose on him when his silhouette appeared in the doorway, but the words died in her throat when he stepped into the light. Shizune stayed in the entrance, looking worriedly between the two of them.

He had dark circles beneath his eyes, and despite the worn training gear, Tsunade noticed the unhealthy weight loss underneath immediately. His clothing was ripped and frayed in places, and numerous cuts and bruises littered the skin she could see. He seemed to have lost his shoes too.

But it wasn't even Kakashi's ragged appearance that had struck her dumb. She could feel the change in the air about him. The way he walked and carried himself…he had left Konoha a broken man, though it was only apparent to those closest to him. Now though, there was a fresh determination about him. She thought back to the way he was as a child, driven and eerily powerful, and knew that something of that had returned. He was almost whole again.

"Lady Hokage,' Kakashi said quietly, bowing, 'please excuse my appearance-"

"-You've hardly been vacationing, have you?" Tsunade cut in, finally finding her tongue.

"Hardly." He agreed.

They stared at each other for a moment, each sizing the other up. Tsunade sat down and glared at him.

"I suppose you think that taking off for six months without so much as a warning is acceptable behavior, especially at a critical time for Konoha." She scowled at him, reaching for her sake cup.

"You told me to take leave-,"

"-As in six weeks-,"

"-to 'straighten my head out'-,"

"Yes, and-,"

"It took six months." Kakashi said with resounding finality. He was right, and she had never told him how long he could take off, but still…

"I was training. Akatsuki are inevitably in Konoha's future, and so far I've failed where ever they have been concerned. "

Tsunade drank from her cup before replying.

"Is this a 'Sumiko' thing? You're going beat up Itachi and get your revenge?"

"No."

Kakashi was calm at the mention of his girlfriend, and Tsunade realized what the cause of the change in him was.

"Shizune!" The woman was still in the doorway, gaping at Kakashi. She jumped at the sound of her name being shouted.

"Yes, Lady Hokage?"

"Out! This is a private matter!"

Shizune backed out of range immediately, and slammed the door behind her. Tsunade turned back to Kakashi, who was as collected as ever.

"You're letting Mai go?" Tsunade asked quietly.

He was silent for a moment, and Tsunade wondered if he would admit he was moving on aloud.

"There is no relevance to her in my life. There is just an enemy to be rid of."

Tsunade wanted to argue, but knew that she couldn't. Maia was an enemy to the state of Konoha, as far as almost everyone knew. There was no way she could encourage Kakashi to just 'wait and see'. Instead, she shut up completely and nodded.

"Good. About time you got over it. Go to the hospital and get checked out. You look like shit, but I'm putting you back on the mission rosters. No more slacking off. Go."

Kakashi bowed and left the room silently. Tsunade watched his thin figure disappear.

_So, _She thought, smiling grimly into her sake cup, _he says he's given up on the girl... I almost believe him._

* * *

The night was clear and crisp, and a slight breeze rolled across the cliff top. I lay gazing at the stars, trying to make some sense of the events of the day. Itachi's confession had been entirely random, and I was still unsure whether I could trust him. It had been a shock that he had seen right through me, though now that I thought of it, Itachi was a genius. Of course he'd know 'When I saw you again in the Village, it reminded me of what we had…' was complete crap.

I was embarrassed that I'd ever genuinely thought that he'd fall for that, how stupid I had been. But now…he was going to help me? It was bizarre.

I scowled up at the sky. I had no choice but to go along with his plan. After all, if I refused his help he could expose me to everyone, and I certainly wouldn't be long for this world if that were to happen. He held all the cards; I had no choice but to trust him and hope for the best.

I rolled onto my front and rested my chin on top of my hands. Kisame had fallen asleep where he sat, tiring of our sparing practice after a few hours. Itachi had dogged me until I barely had enough chakra left to heal my wounds. I'd still be sore tomorrow, but that was just tough.

My eyes adjusted to the dark ground, and I was able to make out Itachi's silhouette against the sky; he was sitting on one of the few unbroken boulders (Me having been thrown into and breaking most of them) and looking at the sky. I wondered what he had meant, when he said he wasn't as strong as he was. What had happened since I last saw him? He seemed plenty powerful enough to me, but it wasn't like he'd ever let me medically examine him. Maybe the power of the Sharingan had finally taken its toll, after all, it wasn't like he ever gave his eyes a break, they were always red now.

They had been dark blue when I knew him as a kid. How things changed.

"Go to sleep Mai."

Itachi's quiet voice jerked me from my thoughts.

"We're training again tomorrow; you need your rest."

I said nothing, there was no point. So, I rolled over and shut my eyes.

* * *

**Sorry this chapter was shorter than usual, I just needed a bridging chapter, so here it is. Chapter four should be up next week. Maybe earlier.**


	4. Chapter 4

"Goddamnit – would you just let me hit you? For morale's sake?"

"Going easy on you will get you nowhere. If you want me to stop winning, do something about it."

I threw my hands in the air in exasperation. A silly idea, as it turned out. I yelled in pain when I activated my injured limb. I could waste chakra healing it now; he'd probably rip my arm off just to prove a point about chakra conservation.

We'd been going at it for a month now, and I was totally convinced that I hadn't improved one bit, sure I was no longer completely exhausted after a days training, but an enemy was surely not going to stop beating you up to remark on how fit you were.

We had spent the last week travelling through the Rain country, leaving the cliff behind. They had tied weights to my wrists and ankles and we had run across the land, day in and day out. I was used to this kind of training, and in a masochistic sense it was oddly comforting. It made me think of Gai.

Now we were in a swamp of some sort. Thick trees grew from the slightly boggy ground, and blocked out the sun. The entire area was cast in an odd blue light, and every hundred or so meters, there were small ponds. I hoped that the change of scene meant a change of training, and Itachi was quick to confirm this.

"Your Taijutsu is still meager at best, but we need to move on. There are other things that need attention."

We were a month into my training now, and we had been sparing day after day. I was relieved to hear we were moving on, though for the life of me I couldn't think of anything else that required focus. Maybe Genjutsu, I never really used that, but then Kakashi had always been the genius at that. My stomach dissolved at the rare thought of him, and I forced him from my mind.

"Oh yeah? And what would that be?" I asked, playing dumb.

"Your Ninjutsu."

"What?"

Well,' Itachi said hesitantly, 'well as you would say; it 'sucks'."

"I've _never _said that!"

Kisame started laughing, and Itachi pinched the bridge of his nose.

"No, _I'm_ saying it sucks."

Kisame laughed even harder. I felt myself go red as I glared at the two men.

"Shut up! Why don't I show you my Sonic Bomb and we'll see just how weak I am."

Itachi's eyebrow twitched in annoyance, but he decided to ignore me.

"That was the jutsu I was talking about. It's only half as effective as it could be."

"No. It's awesome. You don't even know."

Kisame was grinning at me a shaking his head. I made to throw a knife at him, but Itachi was suddenly in front of me. He grabbed my wrist and pulled the weapon away.

"Mai, be quiet and listen,' he threw the kunai as the ground, where it sunk a few inches with a 'squelch'.  
"Most of the time you sustain injury after its use. Sonic Bomb is not a finished jutsu. But I can help you with that."

I glared at him, sulking at the insult.

Itachi moved to continue, but suddenly paused.

"Kisame; take a walk."

I expected Kisame to argue, but the freak seemed glad to leave. We stood in silence for a moment, until Itachi seemed certain that his partner had truly disappeared.

"Now, your bomb is activated primary on Wind cultured chakra-,"

"Not frigging Chakra cultures again, I swear to god-," I stomped my foot and stuck my hip out.

"And,' Itachi spoke over me, 'It blows you half to hell when you use it. But, as you and I know, you have another chakra source that complements this attack."

I blinked at him.

"Uh?"

"As you surely know, the Hou-ou is a bird of fire. Wind gives strength to the flame. Do you see where this is headed?"

"I'm going to be blown up and then burnt to cinders. Great idea."

His patience was legendary. I was more annoying that what was wise, but I was curious to see how far I could push him. Besides, he shouldn't have insulted my jutsu.

"No. If you combined the two, it would create a massive explosion, with a greater impact on your surroundings. It would be devastating.

"And no,' he cut me off as I began another smart-arse retort, 'you wouldn't die, not if you are in the Hou-ou state. You would be drenched in fire cultured chakra. You would be safe. But what you would be left with-,"

"Is a really, awesome attack." I finished, gazing at him in awe.

"Exactly."

* * *

"This is unacceptable! You've been back ages and this is the first drink we've had together!"

"Gai, I've been busy."

Kakashi smiled despite himself. This was the first time he had been out socially with Asuma and Gai since his return. He had thrown himself straight back into work, following Tsunade's orders exactly. No one had seen much of him these days, and he had found Gai waiting in ambush at the gates when he returned from another mission.

"Drop it. He's here now, shut up and enjoy yourself." Asuma said, smiling also. It was almost like old times. The three of them sat in one of Konoha's newest bars at Gai's insistence.

"Why did you want us to come here again?" Kakashi asked, diverting Gai's attention. The older Nin started looking around excitedly, and Kakashi became suddenly aware of the amount of women that seemed to be milled around their booth.

"All the youth!" Gai said, joyfully. Asuma was looking around now too, suddenly realizing Gai's motivation for the night.

"No. Not this again. Kurenai tore me a new one last time you conned me into this."

"Couple's life going well then?" Kakashi said with a grin. Asuma rolled his eyes and lit a cigarette.

"I wouldn't be laughing Kakashi. You're bait." Asuma replied, blowing smoke into the air.

"What." Kakashi said flatly, looking from Asuma to Gai and back. Gai looked suddenly sheepish and shrugged. Another scan around the room made Kakashi realize just how many people were looking at him.

"To hell with this-,"

He stood to leave, he was sick of this sort of thing.

"It's just a bit of fun!" Gai insisted, tugging Kakashi back into his seat.

"Look at them Kakashi, they want to _heal _your wounded heart. Those ladies, all gazing on in adoration. Look Asuma." He continued prodding his friend and then gesturing to the room at large.

"No." Asuma replied.

"Half of the people in here look scared of me" Kakashi commented. It was true, some looked quite concerned.

"Well, yes. They think you're crazy."

"Why?"

Asuma shrugged, looking over at a group of people whispering and staring at them.

"Well, you did run off into the woods to wrestle bears or whatever."

Kakashi didn't bother to reply, laughing into his drink instead. There was always something.

"Don't laugh – go talk to one of them! And make sure they have a friend for me!" Gai said, trying to shoo Kakashi away. Kakashi had had just about enough, when -

"Hatake!" The angry shout came from behind his shoulder.

"Oh thank god." Kakashi muttered.

He only had time to vaguely wonder who he had managed to piss off, when the angry Hokage's face took up his entire field of vision. He put down his drink calmly.

"Tsunade; fancy seeing you out-,"

"Don't give me that shit Hatake, you know what I said about you slacking off!"

Gai sidled in next to the Hokage, grinning weakly.

"All due respect Madam, he's just returned from a mission. We were just welcoming him back…"

"Sit down and shut up." She ordered.

Kakashi gave her his entire attention now. He silently cursed whoever had put her into such a state and then set her on him.

"I don't care if you've just returned from crawling to the Sand and back. You should either be working or resting. This is neither!"

"I'm not rostered on for anything tonight, my next job isn't until Friday. What did you want me to do? I was under the impression that wandering off alone was no longer allowed?"

"Don't get smart with me! I've been looking for you lot for the last hour!" She shouted.

Other patrons averted their eyes and calmly wandered away from the area Kakashi occupied in case they too incurred the Hokage's wrath. Only Gai and Asuma remained at his side; Asuma hiding a smirk behind his hand and Gai looking mortified. Kakashi figured that it was better to let her rage run its course before he spoke again, rather than risk being thrown through the bar window.

"You have a mission now! All of you do!" She thrust three folders towards them.

Kakashi took his and flicked through it with interest; it must be important if the Hokage was delivering it personally.

Something about one of the nearby Sand colonies; a group had infiltrated it and were attempting a take-over. He raised his eyebrows; there had been a fair few casualties so far; it appeared they were contending with some fairly high class Nin.

"Read it on the way, I'm not paying you to stand around, move it!" Tsunade snarled.

"Why don't the Sand take care of this? We don't even know anything about the enemies, this is ridiculous!" Gai spluttered indignantly, having already finished reading.

Tsunade took a breath, and seemed to consider her answer carefully. When she finally spoke, she was calm. She looked almost guilty when she replied.

"The colony is closer to us, Konoha can reach the destination faster, and we owe them a favor. There are a few teams of Sand Nin completing missions nearby who are on their way, but the situation needs to be taken care of now. As for the invaders, they are a group of wanted ninja from all over, but that's as much as we know."

"And you want us to go charging in anyway." Asuma stated bluntly.

Tsunade scowled at him. "That's what you're paid for. Now go, the rest of your team is waiting at the Northern gate."

There was no use in arguing with her; besides, if the Hokage wasn't concerned, there probably wasn't a reason to be. So Kakashi shrugged and started walking to the exit.

"I suppose we had better get going then." He said mildly over his shoulder. The others followed him, leaving the now silent women alone in the parlor.

* * *

"They've fucked it up again!" Kisame called casually. I was sitting on Itachi's chest holding a knife to his throat, having knocked him off his feet for the first time ever.

"What happened?" I asked. Itachi hit my hand away and kicked me off; he stood to receive Kisame as the blue ninja stalked out of the woods. A hawk was perched on his arm, and a letter was clutched held in Kisame's hand.

"Your stupid friends, Rita and Kate."

I stared blankly, before I realized he was talking about Ruso and Kade.

"What happened, Kisame?" Itachi repeated my question. Kisame looked back down at the letter, and summerised.

"They killed their assigned captain and joined forces with group of wanted Nin hiding in the colony and are attempting a take over. Trained Nin are on the way there. These two are novices; when they're captured, they will be questioned, and the blonde one is an idiot. He'll talk."

I struggled back to my feet, healing the gash in my arm as I rose. Ruso and Kade could go drown for all I cared.

"So? Just leave them. It's not like they know anything important."

Itachi took the paper and read it for himself. His eyes narrowed the further he read. It was obviously worse than what Kisame had said.

"No,' he murmured, 'but they _do _know some things. We can't take the chance that they haven't heard anything."

He scrunched up the paper and stood still, staring at the ground in thought. I absent mindedly played with my knife, waiting for his decision.

"You go, Mai."

I dropped the knife.

"M-me? But I'm still in training; I can't run back in there!"

Itachi's eyes hardened.

"You're hardly dedicated to our training. You complain every inch of the way, and when you aren't doing that, you are mucking around."

I stood there stunned. So I'd finally pushed him over the edge.

"You are going to go and fix this mess. It's time you realised what Akatsuki are about and took your situation seriously."

I gaped at him, still not being able to string a sentence together. Kisame wasn't laughing at us this time, and I assumed that he too was in surprised.  
Itachi handed the letter to me.

"It's easy enough to slack off when you are training with an ally, but perhaps you will sober up when facing someone less merciful. It seems that this is the only way you will learn."

I glanced down at the note and saw that the location of the take-over and a few finer details where in there. When I next looked up, Itachi was walking over to where I had scattered my things. He picked them up and held them out to me.

"Go now, and get those two out of there."

"And if I can't?" I asked stiffly, finally finding my tongue.

"Don't come back."

* * *

It took only a three hours running to get to the village; I never got lost. The entire place was alight, probably Ruso's doing, and shone against the dark mountains and setting sun. I had no idea how I was even going to find the others, let alone get them to return to the Mercenary Base with me. There was no one to back me up, and if Ruso turned hostile, I was not sure whether I could fight him off.  
I was sitting on top of one of the sturdier buildings in the village, watching people run around frantically below me. A few times I thought I spotted ninja, but before I could look again, they had disappeared into the smoke.

It was no good sitting here and delaying what I had to do. I pushed myself over the edge of the roof and fell two stories to the ground. I barely had time to congratulate myself on my superb landing when something flew through the air over my head. The rock smashed into the side of a nearby house. I ducked down and pressed myself against the wall of the building, searching the smog for the person who had thrown it. They were obviously not ninja; throwing rocks, jeez. I smirked to myself.

Now that was desperation.

Once I confirmed that the person had moved away, I came out of the shadows and walked down the street.

It was empty, and the village was silent – the Sand Nin had obviously not arrived yet. I pulled out the mission document again and re-read its contents. Ruso and Kade had apparently found a gang of wanted Nin somewhere in the village and joined forces. The gang consisted largely of Chunin and a few low level Jonin; around 15 people, including my teammates.

They didn't sound particularly threatening, but they certainly would not survive an attack from village ninja.

I took note of the occasional running footsteps happening behind me. I was being followed; but I chose to ignore it for now. I would know if someone were going to attack.

I could feel many pairs of eyes on me as I walked past the houses; frightened citizens cowering in the wreckage of their homes. Ruso had a lot to answer for.

The street opened up onto a town square. This had been the place of the take over to be sure. The buildings in the immediate vicinity had been flattened, yet there was a surprising lack of bodies. Smog and smoke decreased visibility to only a few meters around me. I fanned my chakra out as I walked, feeling for people near-by.

One person lay face down in the middle of the area.

I walked over carefully, but stopped when I recognized the Akatsuki Mercenary uniform. Just simple black training gear, but the marred headband confirmed that this must be the team captain. I quickly checked the body for the cause of death, whether by electrocution or Kade's hand. There was no mark on the man's body, no defensive wounds or anything. He obviously never saw it coming. This was Kade's work; that black ray of light that spewed from his mouth. I backed away from the body and looked around again.

It was too quiet here. Kade and Ruso had surely not just moved on.

I suddenly realised my mistake. How could I be so stupid? This was the sort of thing Itachi was talking about; I wasn't paying enough attention.

It was not quiet here because the village ninja hadn't arrived yet; it was silent because they were here. Probably crawling through the streets, taking out the enemy silently and efficiently.

No sooner had the thought come into my head did shuriken whiz towards me. I evaded them; though one nicked my cheek. I launched forwards as my attacker ran out of the fog, her fist raised behind her. My eyes honed in on her headband before I attacked; she was no civilian then. Her eyes widened in shock when I appeared before her. I focused the momentum my speed had caused into my arm and thrust my palm up. I hit her in the nose, causing her to shut her eyes in pain. I whirled around and sunk my leg into her stomach, and sent her crashing backwards into rubble.

Another jumped from above, but missed me by several feet. He hit the ground hard, but practically bounced up at me. I ducked and rolled in the opposite direction, flipping back to my feet with my fists raised. He jumped at me again; I tried to grab him, but he was too fast. His knife cut my arm as he went by, getting faster and faster each time.

Watching his movements was hopeless, so I stayed still and timed my attack with his. I heard his bare feet scrape the ground as he jumped, and swung my leg into the air, charging it with chakra. His body hit my leg hard, and it nearly buckled from his weight before he fell to the ground; winded.

I straightened and turned to move away, when something hit the side of my jaw and sent me flying. I crashed into the ground and skidded for a few meters, rubbing the skin on my arm raw. I gripped my face, spat on the ground as blood filled my mouth. My head was pounding, and it took me a moment to come back to my senses.

A guy trudged over, and stood above me grinning. One of his arms was encased in rock; a ninja from the Earth Country. He released the jutsu, and the rock crumbled away beside me. He laughed, his voice was unusually deep.

"You're with that Konoha lot…." He reached down and wrapped his fingers around my headband and pulled it away. I hadn't let go of my jaw. He had nearly broken it – had he hit me any harder he would have ripped the muscle and tendons connected to my brain and killed me. I was healing myself frantically, so I didn't bother to fight him off.

He ran a fat finger over the long scratch through the leaf emblem and chuckled again.

"But maybe you're not with the leaf guys…Mister Ruso mentioned a rogue from Konoha…" He looked back at me. I glared at him; thinking of all the things I was going to do after I fixed my jaw.

"He said,' he crouched down above my head, tossing my headband at my side, 'that she was a complete…bitch."

His laughter was cut short when my hand flashed up and pulled his headband over his eyes, and the other punched him in the throat. He fell backwards, coughing. I jumped to my feet and aimed a swift kick at his jaw and knocked him out.

My heart was beating in my ears, but now I could make out the sounds of others in the distance. I didn't think that anyone was in the square yet, though the battle was getting closer by the second.

What had that man said about Konoha Ninja?

"Well, how did I guess that they would send you?"

I looked over my shoulder, and saw Ruso leaning against a piece of fallen roofing.

"You bastard, you could have given me a hand!" I yelled. My jaw still ached slightly. Ruso's eyes narrowed, and he straightened up.

He seemed perfectly calm for someone in the middle of a coup d'état. His clothes were spotless, where as I had barely been in the village for half an hour and I was already covered in dirt and blood. His headband was tied loosely around his neck; he hadn't bothered to cover up his wounded eye, instead opting to keep it shut. His mouth was twisted into a snarl; so he wasn't happy to see me then.

"I knew he'd send you" he repeated. I said nothing. There was something different about Ruso. He walked around me, his eyes never leaving my face. There was the clang of metal on the other side of the square – someone was fighting here, we had to leave…

"Ruso-,"

"-Those guys think I'm some sort of skirt-chaser, someone who jumps through hoops for a pretty face."

"So they know you well." I said bluntly, my hand twitching, longing to grab a kunai.

"It's your fault that they don't take me seriously. They think I just run around after you, following your every request. I knew they'd send you."

The hair on the back of my neck rose. More people were in the square, still hidden in the fog. The sounds of their battle filled the air around us, but Ruso appeared not to care or notice. He continued to circle me, and I noticed yellow electricity crackling sporadically around his hand.

"We have to go Ruso. The Sand and Fire nation have sent people to stop you. Where's Kade?"

Ruso ignored my question, openly charging up now. Electricity flowed around his body; I backed away slightly to avoid stray sparks. I stood side on, pretending to cower, only instead hiding one of my hands. It would have been great if Itachi had gotten round to helping me with the Bomb, but for now the attack that 'sucks' would just have to do.

"God's sake, Ruso. Stop whining and let's go. You can bitch about me to the powers that be when we get back to base."

One of the sparks hit my foot, and I took another step back and feed the bomb more chakra.

"You told Itachi that the last mission was my fault, because I'm obsessed with women."

"Well,' I replied, 'it's true."

This was almost comical, if not for the fact that Ruso was going to rip me limb from limb any second. But I wouldn't land a hit if I ran at him; I needed to bring him to me.

"You're a fucking liar!" He suddenly shouted.

I shrugged.  
He took a step forward, but suddenly composed himself. He smiled at me again.

"I knew they'd send you. They thought you were the best person to bring me back. The one who controls me."

Realisation hit me like lightening. This was a set up. Ruso's injured pride, his ego…all this because I embarrassed him…told Itachi the truth. Anger coursed through my veins, and the bomb surged behind me. I was going to loose control if I didn't calm down.  
This wasn't a takeover; this was a way to get me here alone. Ruso wanted to earn back the respect of the Akatsuki, and take his revenge on me at the same time. All these people dead, for something so stupid.  
That bastard! How could he? I'll…I'll…

The bomb imploded behind me. I look back in horror at my now empty hand. Oh shit. Oh Shit! Ruso laughed in front of me, and suddenly wall of heat hit the side of my face. I looked back to Ruso, but was blinded by gold light.

"Goodbye, Princess" came Ruso's echoing farewell.

I snapped back to reality in time to see a streak of golden light come towards me. I watched it as if in slow motion. The light took shape, and he was close enough for me to make out his features. A vein of gold streaked out towards my heart. I didn't try to defend myself; I just watched it come closer and closer…

That chirping noise was unbearable…

And then Ruso was whole, and screaming. The fist of lightening yanked itself out of his chest, and my teammate fell to the ground dead.

I tore my eyes away from Ruso's lifeless body, and looked up at my savior.

Kakashi Hatake stared back.

* * *

"Well, well. Look at you; this is the company you keep these days?" Kakashi asked lightly, looking down at Ruso. I swallowed hard and concentrated on just standing upright. He was here. Kakashi was here. My heart thudded in my chest, and my legs slowly turned numb.

He was here.

He raised an eyebrow at me, and I remembered that he had asked me a question. Get it together Sumiko.

I nodded and cleared my throat. Him being here made no difference. I had a mission to complete.

"And you; I thought you were dead." I answered flatly. God, he was close enough to touch. I could just grab him now, no one would see…

He shrugged and took a step forward.

"You are not as good as you think."

I rolled my eyes and blew my fringe out of my face - so I had been told.

"…Hm, yeah well… Are you going to arrest me now or what?"

Might as well get down to it. I couldn't stay here, others would be near by, and I still had to find Kade.

"I'm going to try." We stared at each other for a moment, each waiting for the other to move. And then at the same time we lunged forwards.

Neither of us lay a hit.

Kakashi gripped my waist and wrist; I had grabbed the front of his shirt. We stood completely still, but I couldn't look him in the eye. I fought within myself; how easy would it be just to sink into him? To just go back home in whatever state, so long that I was with Kakashi?

Konoha flashed in front of my eyes. How it teamed with life. Where there was no war, where everything was green. Where I never had people where safe, where everyone I loved waited.

I knew I could not go back.

We held onto each other so hard it nearly hurt.

I gave myself five more seconds, and then I charged my free hand with chakra and slammed it into Kakashi's chest.

He was thrown backwards, and by the time he looked up; I was gone.

* * *

I found Kade waiting for me as I fled the village.

"Just shut up and run." I spat, and charged off. Kade did as he was told.

I knew what I had to do. The way I pictured Konoha…that would not last if I didn't do this. Konoha would end up like Areno, or this place, with bastards like Ruso ruining everything. It was time to accept that I was a mercenary, not a ninja pretending to be.

It was time to get serious, and stop mucking around. To think, I used to be obsessed with clothing and hair, and not looking like the other ninja. I had once told Asuma that this was job, not a fashion parade. I have everything I need to succeed right here with me, and it was time I took total advantage of it. This was real, and it was important and it was time I stopped acting the part. I had to become the enemy.

* * *

I walked into Itachi's camp a changed woman. Kisame saw me first and laughed.

"Nice haircut, Mister."

Itachi took one glance, and the smallest of smiles appeared on his lips.

"We will start again in the morning."


	5. Chapter 5

Kakashi sighed wearily, closing his eyes momentarily on the display. It was ridiculous that he was even here really, considering his history as a teacher. But all Jonin that were not in the hospital or on missions had been forced to attend the bi-annual junior exhibition matches, an exercise that pitted five year olds against each other in order for future sensei to spot talent or hidden potential. The display was a joke amongst Jonin, many of whom only agreed to attend in order to catch a break from work.

Despite his best efforts to obtain a mission assignment, Kakashi had been forced to come along and watch the matches, which were dull at best. He opened one eye and saw that the two boys fighting had thrown Taijutsu out the window, and chose to kick at each others shins instead. He looked down his row, and saw many of the other Jonin watching with glazed eyes, staring at the sky or sleeping. Asuma had finished his pack of cigarettes and was becoming agitated. Gai had been quick enough to arrange a mission with his team; and Kakashi had initially been surprised that he passed up the opportunity. Then Gai claimed that no one was a good as his students, and then said something about youth wasted on children playing ninja.

However, Kakashi thought tiredly, there had been a miniscule handful of discoveries; Uchiha Itachi had been noticed at this exhibition as a child, perhaps they should have been more aware…

There was a sudden shout from the boys' direction, and an excited academy teacher declared a winner.

Kakashi clapped numbly with the others.

Tsunade had singled out his attendance, declaring that he had a good eye for talented ninja. Kakashi had smiled grimly, and pointed out that despite his best efforts, half of those he had trained were dead or had deserted Konoha and become hell bent on destroying it.

Suddenly all the kids were back on the grounds, and a pretty Kunoichi started running them through drills. His attention shifted back to the novices, who were running laps around the training field. It was a pity really; on such a nice day he should be training, but the sun was going down in a few hours, and he would be forced indoors.

One of the kids fell over his own feet, and the child running behind him tripped over his clumsy form. The Kunoichi hurried over to prevent a pile up and then tried to calm the two that had fallen.

"What do you think?" Asuma muttered; his hands fidgety with nothing to hold.

"If this is the future of Konoha I handing myself over to Akatsuki now."

Asuma scoffed and shook his head.

"No. I mean, what do you think about _her?_"

Kakashi raised his eyebrows and looked back towards the grounds. He caught the Kunoichi staring at him, though she was quick to look away and focus on ordering the children. He had been wondering when the pestering about his single life would start again; everyone had momentarily backed off after the Colony incident. They still hadn't talked about Maia's unexpected appearance; hell, it was barely discussed in the mission report. The Hokage was bizarrely calm about the incident, even appearing absent minded during Kakashi's debrief.  
Not that he had wanted to rehash the event with anyone else; Gai had informed him that the other Jonin were keenly anticipating another "break-down".

"_It's not malicious or anything…they just want you to go away for a while. With all the missions you're taking on…you're just making some of the others look bad…" _He had explained to Kakashi.

But now, perhaps it was time to lay the rumors and anticipations to rest. Kakashi cleared his throat and looked back in the direction of the teacher.

"Uh…" Kakashi watched her carefully. She was blushing and gesturing to the kids, pretending to ignore him. She was nearly as tall as him, with long, straight blonde hair. He could see from here that her eyes were dark.

"I can set something up if you want-,"

"What? No."

Asuma sat up straighter, and talked excitedly while still looking around for a smoke.

"I can see you like her, and she's a friend of Kurenai's. She's your age I think, about 27. She teaches at the academy obviously, and is ranked as Chunin. She hasn't had any huge success or failure to date, and she's a transfer from one of the colonies. That's all I know."

"That's _all?_"

"Yeah."

"So you don't know her name?"

"Knew you were interested."

Kakashi hoped someone would relent and give Asuma a smoke soon, he was irritating without one. The exhibition seemed to be wrapping up, and the other Jonin shifted in their seats, keen to get away.

"Don't make me go do something we will both regret."

"So don't do anything." Kakashi said, appearing indifferent. However his brain was ticking over; surely asking her out for a drink would be okay…after all, it had been 18 months since Mai.

They sat out the rest of the presentation in silence, though it was only another five minutes before things were wrapped up. A different teacher organized and then dismissed the kids, who ran wildly back to the village. The Jonin moved slowly, stretching and yawning as they talked amongst themselves.  
Kakashi's eyes strayed again, and saw that the teachers were now moving methodically through the field, picking up blunted kunai and shuriken. He took a few steps forward casually; why shouldn't he ask her out? He made his mind up in that instant, and walked purposely forwards onto the grounds.

He didn't really care who saw him; whether Asuma was watching, or had fled with the kids in search of a nicotine fix.

Kakashi cleared his throat to announce his presence before he spoke.

"That was quite a display out here…"

She looked behind her, and her dark brown eyes widened in surprise.

"Oh! Hello – Um, yes, thank you. It is such a nightmare getting them all to behave at these things."

"Trust me, it doesn't get easier." She smiled uncertainly at him. She didn't seem to know what to say for a moment, before she shook herself from her daze.

"Yes, well, I'd say that five is a little young for one to become a Genin anyway; it's just good to get an idea for where the kids are at. I'm Hana by the way." She gave a little wave, though stopped halfway through the motion and grimaced.

Kakashi smiled at her nervousness. For someone his own age, there was something adolescent in her nature.

"I'm-."

"Oh, I know who you are, who doesn't?" She interrupted a small smile on her lips. "Kakashi Hatake; I've spent many hours over the last three years comforting the rookies you sent back to the academy, though it's nice to be able to put a face to the name."

Kakashi paused for a moment, surprised that she didn't know him by face. Not that he held himself in such high regard he expected people to recognize him at a glance; but this woman wouldn't have known who he was at all. He smiled at her, feeling a sudden sensation of relief.

If all she knew of him was his teaching ability, she was probably not one of the many psychotic girls he had avoided in the past.

"Yes, 'he laughed slightly, 'I suppose my reputation precedes me…"

She was blushing again, and bent to retrieve another knife to try to hide it. She seemed to have recovered by the time she straightened, and continued walking.

"I have to admit, I had pictured you as some ugly twisted old man who hated kids; they tales your little survivors told..." She looked mortified the moment the words came out of her mouth.

"I'll take that as a compliment; thank you." Kakashi answered pleasantly. She smiled hesitantly, but when she turned away, he saw her grimace again in embarrassment.

They walked the rest of the field slowly, talking as they went. Kakashi asked about her time as a teacher, and briefly discussed team 7, though she was sensitive enough not to mention the Sasuke fiasco. She didn't ask about the situation with Naruto, or Mai for that matter. She behaved like an ordinary, sane person. He couldn't believe how easy it was to talk to her. She was generally calm, though he quite enjoyed his ability to fluster her. She didn't challenge him, or behave forcefully.

_So this is what normal is _Kakashi thought, smiling and nodding about something she said about this years graduates.

When they finally finished the clean up, the other Chunin had left, and the sun was just about set. Kakashi took a breath, and decided that it was now or never.

"Listen, you're probably tired after today, but I figured I'd ask anyway. I know this great place a little way from here, and was wondering if you wanted to-,"

"-yeah." She nodded eagerly. She quickly stopped and shut her eyes.

"Sorry. I do that. Finish what you were saying." She said wincing slightly.

Kakashi watched her carefully, amused by her. He waited until she met his eye again before he spoke.

"Do you want to come out for a drink?"

"Okay."

* * *

Yi and Luke watched their leader warily. They didn't know much about her - at least not the facts. Rumors of her exploits had flown around the mercenary unit. The girl was apparently a deserter, but that was hardly unusual, most ninja in the ranks were. But this girl was being trained personally by one of the Akatsuki leaders after massacring an entire village. She had brought about the destruction of her assigned team, and she had taken on the Copy-ninja twice and won.

Or so the stories went.

The captain had barely bothered to look at her assigned team, instead choosing to stand alert, watching over the land that sprawled beneath cliff they stood on. They had been in the Water country for the last three days; it was the first mission Yi and Luke had been on with the mercenaries. The Captains two subordinates looked on with a mixture of disappointment and irritation. The girl was grudgingly admired for her quick climb through the Akasuki ranks, and tales of her ruthlessness were discussed often in certain circles.

But in the flesh, she was hardly as impressive.

Yi watched her captain through narrowed eyes. The girl was a few years younger than her, though the dark circles under her eyes aged her. Her form was thin, almost frail. A stiff wind would surely blow her away - and her hair! Yi bit back a laugh; what an utter nightmare, did the girl have no shame? She stroked her long black locks lovely as she took in her leader's choppy hair cut. It stuck up everywhere, cut at odd lengths, with a long piece that fell just above on eye.

'She looks like a child; a boy' Yi sniggered inwardly.

The subordinates jumped when somewhere below them came the sound of explosions; the bombs they had planted at the village bridge had gone off successfully.

The leader did not flinch.

What was her name? Something weak, like Mara or May… Yi tossed her head. It didn't matter anyway; they were only assigned to her this one time. Yi glanced at Luke, trying to see if he had noticed her yet, but he was looking behind them disinterestedly.

She huffed and clicked her tongue. Luke looked at her sharply, but Yi pretended not to notice.

The leader suddenly turned towards them and walked quickly away from the edge, and towards the forest. Yi and Luke were used to her silent cues now and followed.

After walking in silence for only a few seconds, Yi was just about ready to pull her precious hair out.

"So…You're like, a mute, or what?"

The girl stopped abruptly and sighed, hanging her head. Yi felt a surge of anger, and was about to march up to her, when Luke swung around and hissed "Are you completely stupid? We are in enemy territory; you could have given away our position! Just how did you even get into the mercenaries when you don't have the basic understanding of what a ninja is! You're so-"

"Be quiet."

It was the first two words the Captain had said to either of them. They looked towards her, shocked.

The captain had stopped, and stood tall with her arms crossed.

A man had appeared from the forest shadows.

The subordinates reached for weapons immediately, and prepared to attack.

"Don't bother. It's a clone." The girl said wearily.

Yi lowered her weapon uncertainly, and tried to sense the presence of the original body. Her attention was snapped back to the clone when he spoke.

"Ah, we heard that there was an Akatsuki dog in our midst; but I hardly expected them to send Sumiko Maia. An honor." He bowed slightly.

"Hm." Sumiko nodded slightly, eyes narrowed in concentration.

"I take it you're not going to let us leave now that our mission is complete? No?' She continued, shifting her weight to her hip.

The clone smiled grimly at her, but did not move.

"My subordinates are finding it extremely hard to find your body; you've hidden yourself rather well."

The clones smile only widened, but he drew a kunai from the pouch on his leg. Sumiko seemed not to notice, finally gazing unconcernedly at the surrounding trees.

"And,' she went on, 'I'm guessing that this is an ambush. Excellent, I'm yet to have a mission that didn't go totally awry. Though, perhaps it wouldn't be this way if my underlings weren't so idiotic as to stand around and stare at me, rather than monitor the pace with which your men surrounded us."

Luke's head flicked up, and his eyes frantically searched the surrounding trees. He could not sense nor see anyone, what was she talking about?

Sumiko suddenly rounded on them, and they instinctively took a step back. Her eyes were blazing green, and despite her calm face, anger radiated off of her.

"Your failure to concentrate on your surroundings got us in to this, now you sort this mess out. Prove that you're not entirely worthless – the Akatsuki has no time for losers."

With that, the Captain left the small clearing and leaned against a tree, and watched them expectantly.

"U-uh" Luke stuttered, confusion written all over his face. Yi, however, took the insult to heart, and charged at the clone. She sank her knife into his chest and continued to run through the stream of liquid the water-clone became. Her Captain betrayed no emotion when she watched the defeat, and Yi chose to ignore her from here on. The ninja ran straight into the forest, determined to force the enemy into the light. Luke took slightly longer to get his head around the fact that they were under attack, and he was entirely alone. He glanced towards his Captain, and saw that she had her eyes closed, undoubtedly monitoring the enemy, and Yi's progress.

He wasn't about to let that bimbo shown him up. He weaved hand signs for his strongest jutsu, and smirked, He's show this Sumiko character exactly what he was capable of. He planted his hands in the earth. He concentrated on the minerals of the soil, the chakra flow of insect-life and the slow growth of roots.

He forced an enormous pulse of chakra into the earth.

The only warning anyone had was the slight shuddering of the ground, before the immediate vicinity exploded.

Luke chuckled as tree remnants and soil rained down on him. He now crouched in the middle of an enormous crater. The shock had toppled many ninja out of their hiding places.

The smile disappeared quickly when he sensed the surrounding chakra levels; there were many, many more of the enemy than he had first assumed.

"Bloody bastard!" Came the nearby shriek. Yi was struggling to her feet near the edge of the crater, covered in dirt. Sumiko appeared on the opposite side, laughing quietly.

"I'm going to kill both of you when this is done!" Yi yelled again.

Sumiko shrugged and became serious again.

"Don't just stand there then." She retreated, but she hard only taken a few steps before she was taken down by two men. She didn't struggle; instead letting them pull her out of sight and into the forest.

Luke and Yi glanced at each other nervously, listening to the sounds of fighting where she had disappeared. They heard a final shout, and then silence. Sumiko did not come back.

But they did not have time to panic; Wave Ninja were on them almost instantly

Yi and Luke stood back to back; silently counting their enemies. There were 20 in all, bearing down upon them, and probably more on the way. Yi could feel Luke panicking behind her, and her attraction immediately died. She was like the Akatsuki, no time for weaklings.

Before the Water-nin could attack, she summoned ten shadow clones and sent them deep into the enemy ranks. Luke took inspiration from her move and created fifteen of his own, and charged towards the nearest Ninja. While the majority were busy with her clones; Yi weaved more signs and summoned the wind. She contained her storm to their area, and focused on Luke's energy so as not to harm him.

Trees were ripped from their roots, and Yi aimed them at two men near-by. They saw the trunk in time and sliced it clean through. She ducked low, and used the wind to pull dirt and soil into the air, lowering visibility. But the men knew vaguely what direction she had stood, and senbon and kunai started landing around her.

She pulled her storm tighter around her, and the wind pushed the weaker throws back.

Luke had gone underground, using the head-hunter jutsu intrinsic to the rock country. He methodically pulled the ninja down, though he left out the part of the jutsu where the victims head remained above ground, choosing instead to bury them. Hell, they were all water chakra inclined, they could figure something out if they wanted to live. He took care of as many as he could before the air in the soil became thin.

Above him he could hear Yi's storm raging, and scattering her chakra signal. Luke closed his eyes and focused on finding the eye of the storm, and figured that would be Yi's location.

Found her. He began climbing out of the earth when he sensed something enormous coming from the north. The power was brutal and enormous – whatever it was, chances were it wasn't good for either Yi or him.

He scrambled out of the ground gasping, and grabbing Yi's ankle as he pulled himself upright.

"W-we have to go, something's coming-,"

He stopped short when he saw the people moving towards them swiftly. He had not sensed the small army that had accumulated over-ground, and Yi looked as surprised as he did. Her storm must have blinded her to the advance. The Water-nin rightly looked pleased with themselves, their numbers having doubled in the time Luke was beneath the ground. He started backing away, fighting against all consuming panic.

He should have just stayed beneath the dirt and ran. Yi was a haughty bitch who couldn't keep up. But now, if he tried anything, he'd be dead before he was knee-deep in soil.

The enemy armed themselves calmly, knowing that they had won. They smiled grimly at them and slowly fanned out to form a circle around their victims.

And then that massive, destructive power was behind them. The Water-nin's smiles faded quickly and they readied themselves to attack. Luke looked over his shoulder.

Their captain, Sumiko Mai stood with an enormous ball of red, pulsating chakra above her head. There was not a mark on her; and her expression was set to one of slight annoyance.

"None of you water vermin move. Yi and Luke – go."

No one stirred.

The sphere above her head was letting off a high pitched screeching sound that raised the hairs on Yi's arms.

"Unless you are fire-proof, unlike me, I think you should run." Mai said again, taking a step forward and pulling her arm back. The Water-nin moved as one to throw their weapons.

Sumiko threw the sphere towards the heart of the enemy ranks, before she turned and sprinted in the other direction. Time seemed to slow as the chakra ball flew through the air, though as its heat hit Yi and Luke's faces, they realised what was about to happen. They forced chakra to their legs and fled after their leader.

The bomb detonated and fire roared from its depths, consuming enemy and landscape alike. The cliff could not cope and cracked from the force. It split from the mainland, and that little peace of hell tumbled down to the waters below.

* * *

I watched Itachi carefully from my place beside the fire. It was impossible to know where I stood with him. His attitude was normally so cold and aloof, but I had come to notice the glances in my direction, his slowness to pull away after a training session.

He sat with a hand over his eyes at the moment, and I knew he was in pain. It was pointless trying to talk about it, so I set my sights back on the fire.

I sighed and wiped the sweat from my forehead. My hand came back black from the ash. The use of the bomb earlier without using the Hou-ou as a shield still needed tweaking, the team had barely escaped.

I laughed when I remembered the state they had been in. Luke was hysterical and Yi's hair was singed; but at least now they had learned a little respect. I had sent them back to the base after the ambush, while I returned to the village to tie up a few loose ends before returning to the hideout.

I pushed my hair out of my eyes; it was probably time for another haircut. Though over the last few months it had done little to hinder my performances. I didn't rely so much on sight in battle anymore; that change was bound to happen, seeing as I was training and fighting against a Sharingan user. I used the other senses more often, and I was caught less and less in Itachi's Genjutsu.

He had decided to keep me after all. Once I returned from Ruso's breakdown, he had been ruthless in our training. He would attack me on a whim, and often after our sessions. No time was sacred, and he seemed to delight in waking me in the early hours of the morning with attack.

He could not leave me alone.

I was constantly surprised at his stamina; what with the toll those eyes had on his body. I had caught him on several occasions when he had thought he was alone, wincing. I didn't bother to offer medical advice; he would never take it. But now…I looked back up over the fire at him and saw his free hand was clenched tightly, and his jaw was taught. It was always like this after he returned from a mission, and his decline in health was slow and pain-staking.

"Itachi. Go to bed." I said quietly, drawing circles in the dirt. He didn't bother to reply; he barely moved at the sound of my voice.

I hesitated for a moment, before I stood and walked quietly over to where he sat.

I bit my lip as I knelt in front of him. Still, he didn't move, though he would have sensed my presence.

"Mai. Not now." He finally breathed.

I sighed quietly, before making up my mind. I pulled his hand away gently, and he opened his eyes to meet mine. Moving slowly, I raised my hands to his head, and I felt him stiffen. He leaned away warily.

"You're in pain, and you don't need to be."

"It's none of your business." He said calmly, making movements to stand.

"It is when you're my teacher; or do you want me to leave here with my training incomplete? So I end up being killed by one of your friends-,"

"Maia." He said warningly; but Kisame wasn't around. We were in the middle of nowhere, no one would hear me. I glared at him, and he looked tiredly back. I raised my hands again, and this time he didn't pull away. He closed his eyes as I gently placed my palms over his eye-lids. I quickly confirmed what I had long suspected; that continuous use of the Sharingan was wasting his body, but I said nothing. I allowed my chakra to act as a painkiller to soothe his tired eyes while we enjoyed a rare peace in the night.

**Don't start freaking out. All will be right in the end. Sorry this took so long and is kind of lame, but I needed this to steer things in the right direction and indicate time marching on. The next chapter wont take so long, as college is over, and I've planned my next moves. Thanks to all who have continued reading my little saga, the emails notifying me of your interest inspires me to keep going :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**I hope this isn't completely full of mistakes, it is quite late. Anyway, read and enjoy :3.**

Itachi ignored the urge to close his eyes to the pain as he walked through the murky cavern. He had been called away from Mai and Kisame in the dead of night for a meeting with the powers that be.

This was a common place to meet for the Akatsuki members; the cave providing natural defences against enemies. Many had wandered these caves, few had found their way out. Wanderers often fell down gloomy precipices, or impaled themselves upon stalagmites. Most died of starvation after a few days of searching for exit, while they only steadily rambled deeper into the dark.

Itachi had come here many times before to meet with other members of Akatsuki, all of whom had long mastered the tunnels of the mountain side.

Itachi had walked the winding paths for ten minutes, heading towards the large, makeshift room the others had carved from the rock.

The darkness did not bother him, his Sharingan was ideal for scenarios such as these. He caught the odd glimpse of bug and rodent life, their miniscule chakra's glowing dimly as they watched his journey.

He winced inwardly as his head gave another almighty throb, and he clenched his jaw harder. Perhaps he should let Mai treat him more often, even if it only made the pain go away for a short time.

She still thought he was just tired from over use of the Sharingan, but then, she would never know he was actually sick unless she were able to run tests.

He'd never let her.

It was meant to be this way, and Itachi saw the onslaught of this disease as karma. Had he rejected Konoha's mission and sided with the Uchiha rebellion…he probably would have died many years ago.

The tunnel suddenly widened around him, and Itachi sensed the two he was searching for waiting a little further ahead. Itachi ignored his body's protest and set his Sharingan on the figures.

_Pain _and _Konan. This must be serious…_ he thought to himself as he closed the distance.

"Itachi…you're early", a male voice echoed in the dark. Itachi eyed the two chakra figures calmly.

"I left after I received your message. What do you want?" He asked flatly.

The two were silent for a moment.

"Straight to the point then." Pain said quietly. Konan shifted quietly next to him.

"Fine. We like what you have done with _her._ The rate of growth has been impressive … how long has it been now?"

Itachi narrowed his eyes in the dark - where was this going?

"Almost two years now." Itachi replied evenly.

"Two years…You were right to take her out of the Mercenary pool. Her strength and quality as a leader and member of the Akatsuki rank is pleasing. She is becoming quite the hero for the Mercenary trash. However, given your role in her life, we are not without concern…"

Itachi said nothing; Pain did not like to be questioned.

"…Concerns about her loyalties. It has been two years since she fled Konoha, but our sources have shed some light on her movements within the village during her short return. They have brought some of her actions into question. Her relationships with the other ninja…that of Hatake Kakashi in particular…" Pain continued.

Again, Itachi remained silent.

"Uchiha, have you got nothing to say in her defence? Isn't she _your _girlfriend? Surely you must have concerns of your own about Hatake" Konan finally spoke.

"Nothing I say will dispel your suspicions,' Itachi finally said softly, 'though the relationship with the copy-nin was for the benefit of accumulating information on the Jinchuuriki. I know her well."

He was successful in keeping the edge out of his voice. Where the Copy-nin was concerned, Itachi could not totally ignore his slight resentment.

"But she has known Hatake since childhood. They have history; are you not concerned about a future betrayal due to nostalgia. There is a war coming; to the run the risk of her turning would be…unwise."

Itachi didn't like the twist in conversation. If Pain suspected anything, he would take matters in hand, and Mai would be eliminated in due course. He thought carefully about what had been said. They had not outright accused him or Mai of anything yet…they were only sounding him out. He closed his eyes to the dark and concentrated.

It was clear that they were yet to reach the point of their conversation, and there was an air of suspense, and muted excitement between his two comrades. Finally, he sighed and opened his eyes once more.

"I have spent the last two years observing her, and I have no concerns."

Pain chuckled softly.

"So you have either been blinded by affection, or the girl is true."

Pain's tone was mocking, and Itachi bit back the surge of annoyance he felt at how easily the elder male could read him. Despite the face that Itachi had not had contact with either Pain or Konan in at least a year, and that neither could see his face in the dark, the way he felt about Mai was immediately recognised by Pain.

"Either way, I am not leaving anything to chance. As I said, Konan and I like this student of yours and we plan on bringing her up to our rank as part of Akatsuki. However we need more than just your word on her standing in regards to her loyalties. Ninja trained to be good actors." Pain continued, not bothering to wait for a response from Itachi.

"Then what do you want?" Itachi asked wearily. His head was starting to throb rhythmically.

He could practically feel Pain's smile in the dark. Whatever the leader wanted, it wasn't going to be good.

"There is something that would bind her to you and Akatsuki. In exchange for her loyalty, she would receive placement within our ranks. Uchiha, have you heard of the Shizaru Pact?"

* * *

Itachi had been moodier than usual over the last few days, and I was careful to keep my distance. I had retreated into the wilderness and set up a camp a few miles away near a waterfall we had passed during our never ending journey.

Here I was freed from him and Kisame, and able to focus on the finer points of my jutsu.

It had started after he disappeared one night. Thinking that we were asleep, I heard him get up and move away. He had paused ever so briefly when he walked by me. He had not returned until the early hours of the morning.

I chose not to ask him about his disappearance; he was a private man. If it were something of importance, he would surely seek me out in the end.

At the moment I was huddled in front of the fire I had built, having already finished cleaning up after my dinner. I only had a thick blanket and my Nin tools out here, and considering the way we normally travelled, it was luxury.

I hadn't received as many missions lately, though I figured that Akatsuki were constricting their movements for the time being. Naruto was returning to the village in six months, and there were other Jinchuuriki to hunt before going after the Nine-tails.

I didn't mind the lack of work, it left more time to developing jutsu, and training with Itachi.

The Hou-ou remained sealed, but lately I had grown even more aware of it. It had been locked away for two years, and I could feel it fighting against the seal Itachi had cast over it.

I looked up from the fire towards the slowly setting sun. The waterfall was cast orange and pink from the fading rays, and a lazy breeze floated by. The birds had grown silent long ago. I should probably go to bed, it was hopeless training in the wild at night; it was too easy to draw attention to myself…

Itachi was silent as he walked into my little camp. I didn't jump, or arm myself when I sensed him – I didn't need a weapon these days. I looked over my shoulder calmly, before turning away to toss a few logs into the fire. Itachi sat down near-by, looking out over the stream quietly.

I leaned back onto my elbows and watched him. He had deteriorated quickly over the last month, though he rarely let me ease some of his pain. I wasn't sure what was wrong with him, only that there was some sickness, something he had caught during his travels that would not be moved by any amount of chakra.

His red eyes had dark circles under them, but then, it was really the trademark of the day. Everyone Akatsuki related looked tired these days, but their fatigue could be attributed to excitement and planning for the violent future.

Hell, I avoided my reflection all together these days.

I pulled a hand full of grass out of the ground as I watched him. I knew he felt my stare, but he did not seem in a hurry to dispatch me.

He didn't seem in a hurry to do anything. I sighed loudly before pulling my blanket over me and lying down. The sky was slowly turning purple, and I could spot the odd star overhead.

The Hou-ou shuddered within.

"You should just go back." Itachi finally murmured.

I sat up abruptly.

"You what?"

His gaze did not leave the water, and his voice was devoid of emotion.

"Go back to Konoha Mai. It isn't going to work. Just go back and help the village."

I glared at the back of his head, willing him to explain himself.

He didn't.

"No. I wont. What is going on Itachi? What happened the other night?"

He didn't answer, and anger bubbled up within me.

"Itachi!"

"Go home. You were better off there. What I've done to you…what I've caused you to become…none of this is worth it."

I fought my way upright, now furious.

"You don't get to talk like that! You don't get to just – just throw away these two years as a failed experiment and expect me to go along with it! After every thing I been through... And why do I have to leave? I've been in far more danger before and you didn't bat an eye!"

"Things have changed, Mai."

I took a deep breath to calm myself. After a few moments I could trust myself to speak without shouting at him.

"What has changed?" I asked lowly, moving towards him.

He stood up slowly, but didn't turn.

"They want you in Akatsuki."

My heart skipped a beat.

"I thought that was a good thing – it's largely what you and I set out to achieve, and it's more than Tsunade ever dared hope for. I don't see the-,"

"-Have you ever heard of the Shizaru Pact?"

I faltered, my brain frantically trying to recognise the name.

"No." I finally conceded. I had no idea, but clearly, it was not good.

Itachi finally faced me, and for the first time ever, I saw sadness in his face.

"Pain, the founder of the Akatsuki, demands that you partake in this pact. With me."

I frowned slightly, confused.

"And what does that mean?"

"He is not convinced of your loyalty, but he is impressed by your power. He wants you in Akatsuki though, and is prepared to compromise.' Itachi said, never breaking eye contact.

'The pact is a powerful, ancient form of Ninjutsu. You would be bound to me; a ceremony take place and certain rites are observed. Then you and I make the pact; you will be eternally loyal to me, and in turn, Akatsuki. You lose your freedom to betray us."

My stomach clenched, and I felt sick.

"But what does that mean?"

"It means you would be with Akatsuki until death. And if you did turn on Akatsuki, as in return to Konoha…you would pay with your life."

I stared at him in shock. His face softened and he closed his eyes.

"That's why-,"

"I can't refuse." I interrupted hollowly.

He looked surprised, and then annoyed.

"If I said no,' I finished, 'it would look odd. That's why people join the Mercenaries, in the hope that they will one day be invited to join Akatsuki. I have to."

"No!' Itachi said heatedly. "Go back, they will kill you. Enough already Mai just -,"

"You're not going to tell on me, are you?" I said coolly. Itachi's jaw clenched. I watched him fight inwardly not to lose his calm.

"I have a mission. I plan to finish it – after all, it's not everyday that one gets an opportunity like this."

"This isn't what the Hokage wanted, and you know it." Itachi's eyes flashed at me.

My heart sunk that moment I said it out loud. What was I going to do? I wanted Itachi to leave, so I could think.

Would it be so bad? Itachi and I got along well, surely I could endure…

"Leave me be. I need to think." I said abruptly.

"No."

I stared at him, though I was careful not to let my surprise show on my face. He was back in control, and he met my gaze with steely determination.

"Fine. I'll go."

I turned towards the waterfall and walked away, leaving Itachi at the bank.

* * *

I climbed up the rocky side of the waterfall, allowing my mind to focus only on placing on hand over the other until I reached the top. My body felt light, and a ringing had filled my ears as the shock of what Itachi said finally hit me.

"_Til death…til death…til death_"

His words echoed in my head.

Could I do it?

I hauled myself over the edge and looked back towards the camp. Itachi had disappeared, and I knew he had left. He never came after me when I was like this; he knew better by now.

I rubbed my eyes tiredly. If I told the Hokage, sent word…she would try to bring me home by force. People would be injured.

If I ran, they would catch me. Akatsuki had an army of bloodthirsty soldiers dying to prove themselves.

But if I went through with it…I wouldn't live that long either. How much time would pass before I would slip up? Try to defend Konoha, or meet a friend in battle – I could not truly turn on them all…

Grief settled like a stone in my stomach, and I wanted to cry in frustration. I was sick of jumping through hoops; all this bullshit. The missions, the close escapes, the blood and the constant death that followed all associated with Akatsuki.

To go home…it would be paradise. I banished the thought the moment it floated into my head. I was not allowed to think about _that place_ or _that man;_ as I forced myself to refer to them nowadays.

What was he doing now? It had been two years, he must have moved on…

No, it didn't matter. He…they were no longer relevant.

I bit my lip. It had been so long though…maybe just a reminder of what I was fighting for…was not a bad thing…

Before I was truly aware of what I was doing, my hands were weaving, and _his_ face was in my head. With a low bang, the tracker bird appeared beside me, and flew away in a streak of white to its set destination.

Nerves swept up my legs as I realised what I had done, though I did not dread what I would see. I lay back, next to the rushing river, and waited for the vision.

* * *

Kakashi walked home slowly, enjoying the quiet night air. He was returning from a date with Hana, which he could proudly admit, had gone quite well. It had taken him a long time to properly ask her out, between the amount of missions he had signed himself up for, and his relentless training schedule, he had been reluctant to make the time.

But when he finally did, he came to realise that she was perfectly nice, fun even.

He smiled to himself again. Yeah, it had gone really well.

He lost himself in him thoughts for longer than he realised, and by the time he arrived at his apartment, he realised that he didn't want to go home just yet.

Kakashi looked around the street, and noticed that it was unusually quiet for a Friday night. It was late, and he wasn't really in the mood to search for Gai and Asuma for a drink tonight…

After another moments thought, Kakashi decided on the training grounds.

Or more specifically, the war memorial. He hadn't visited Obito in weeks.

* * *

_The bird sped like a magnet to its target. The village was quite a distance away, but already the hilly country of its origin was slowly turning into forest. Not far now._

* * *

Kakashi stood in front of the stone. He had begun to regret his decision to come here almost immediately. It brought back so many memories…

Thoughts that replaced the pleasant ones he had been experiencing only minutes before.

He should have fought harder.

Obito. Rin. And…

Why hadn't he? He should have dragged her back; he should have treated her as he would any other criminal. She had told him it was all a lie, but why had he been so entirely powerless to stop her?

* * *

_The lights were in the distance now. The bird felt the pull of his chakra, it yearned for its target. To find him and then disappear._

* * *

Kakashi shook his head. He wasn't going to do this tonight. He had done well to block Mai out so far, and he had smothered his emotions towards her long ago, after the Sand…

Besides, he now had Hana to consider, and things were going well with her. He wouldn't let a ghost distance him from people again.

After all, he didn't know where she was, let alone if she was…

He sighed, feeling suddenly tired. He sat down on the cold, damp grass and leaned back against the stone. He looked up at the sky, and allowed his eyes to drift closed.

_He was walking towards the memorial, hoping to clear his head when …_

"_Um…Obito? It's Maia; we used to play ninja together. You probably don't recognise me, it's been a while…"_

_He stopped abruptly and looked up towards the stone. She was sitting there in her hospital gown, looking at the stars. His ears picked up his own name, and he moved closer._

"_And Kakashi. Jeez, is that a surprise. He's still a jerk, but not as much as before. He has his own team now, which is hilarious to watch… You'd be proud of him, Obito."_

_Deciding that this was too personal for him to be intruding on, Kakashi moved forwards._

"_Hell, you probably __are__,' she continued, oblivious. "Who knows how this whole death thing works, I've been close to it so often you'd think I'd have a better understanding of the concept, but I'm afraid no-,"_

"_Maia?"_

Kakashi smiled at the memory. She had looked completely mortified when she realised he was there.

It was the night that he realised, or at least acknowledged that he liked her; maybe even loved her…

He ran his hand through his hair in frustration. He didn't know what had been real any more.

The hairs on the back of his neck prickled, and Kakashi no longer felt weary. He was entirely alert, and he realised that he was no longer alone in the field. He could detect a presence, though it was not human, nor was it animal. He drew a kunai and stood carefully, pulling up his headband as he went.

It took him a moment to find it. Using his Sharingan, he watched the little ball of white chakra perched on a near-by branch. His heart started to pound in his chest, and he walked carefully towards the source. He opened his normal eye, and saw the small white bird hiding in the tree, watching him. He swallowed hard.

What was this?

He lowered his weapon, and in a low voice, he managed,

"Mai?"

The bird vanished in a puff of smoke.

* * *

The entirety of the vision rushed back to me, waking me from my light doze. The forest, then the memorial, and then the briefest glimpse of him.

I covered my face with my arms and squeezed my eyes closed. I fixed the image of him in my mind, and replayed the moment over and over until I drifted away to sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

"Aw – shit." I scowled down at my burned palm. My bomb still needed work. I would lose control of it when I pushed to a certain point. The more I powered it up, the more lethal it became, and without the Hou-ou's protection, I got burnt often. Itachi had wandered off somewhere so I stayed away from our camp, not wanting to make conversation with Kisame. I had found a peaceful place in the forest to train. I stood at the edge of a pond I had stumbled upon, and considered sticking my hand beneath the current.

I stared at the wound; it didn't really hurt. There was just a constant numbness to everything I did these days. I pressed my finger against the raw skin. Sure, my brain was telling me that this was quite a severe burn, but I just didn't care.

It would be easier to just release the seal; it would be simple enough. It was starting to erode away under the constant pressure and power of the Hou-ou. Birds are not meant to be caged.

I had considered telling Itachi, but I wasn't seriously bothered.

"Now what have you done?" came the flat voice behind me.

I frowned and looked over at Itachi, who had moved silently from the overgrowth and was walking towards me.

I shrugged and lowered my hand out of sight, but he had already guessed what had happened. He sighed quietly, before reaching for my hand and pulling me down towards the water. He put my hand beneath the surface, but I hardly noticed the relief it brought.

We were silent for a moment, though I knew what he wanted to talk about.

"Don't even start." I muttered.

He pretended not to hear me. He let go of my hand, but I kept it where it was while he stood.

"You don't need to go through with this Maia. You would be trapped here for good."

I said nothing, instead studying my shoes.

"You have a life…friends back home. You don't need to make this enormous sacrifice for them. Do you really think that they would want your death – and yes, this will eventually kill you, you cannot keep this up – on their hands?"

I clenched my teeth together, and my words came out harsh and stilted.

"If I died tomorrow those people wouldn't care. As far as they're concerned, I'm a Rogue-Nin and a deserter who is going to sell out Konoha."

"Tsunade would clear your name." He growled, stepping closer.

"And risk bringing down the vengeful wrath of Akatsuki even sooner? I don't think so." I answered bitterly.

"You don't really believe that Mai. I can see it in your face. Now, I'm not asking you, I am telling you: Go home."

I pulled a face; he was getting to be repetitive.

"I have a mission, and I made an agreement with you to stop the Akatsuki. It's what these last few years have been about-,"

"To hell with that!" He half shouted. I gave him a piercing look, but he ignored me.

"I don't care about your mission, or what we agreed on. People change, Mai, and I won't let you risk your life for this!"

I swallowed hard and glared at him. His face was set and alert, but I'd had enough. I wasn't going to stand around and argue with him over something he had no say in.

"Whatever Itachi, it really has nothing to do with you."

I stalked past him, irritated.

"It has everything to do will me." He replied sharply. He suddenly grabbed my uninjured hand and pulled me back abruptly.

"Itachi, why can't you just-,"

His lips crashed against mine, and my eyes widened in surprise. I stood motionless for a moment, before, finally, I melted into him. My eyes drifted closed.

After his initial attack on my mouth, he became surprisingly gentle. His arms encircled me, and he held me tight against him.

It was a closed mouth kiss, and hardly lustful, but still it evoked an overpowering sense of hollowness inside me. I wanted to fall to the ground in despair, and cry.

How starved of affection had I become?

I was going to fall apart if I stayed here. I pushed off against his chest and stumbled backwards. My hand covered my mouth.

But when I looked up, Kakashi stood before me. Not the version I had seen during my night-time vision, but Kakashi as I remembered him two years ago. There was something slightly off about his features, or was there? It had been so long, I struggled to remember.

After a moment, I realised that I was trapped in Itachi's Genjutsu.

"I-Itachi, what the hell!" My voice cracked.

Kakashi stared at me gravely. I was going to be sick.

"Let me out of here Itachi! Right now!" My demands sounded weak to my ears.

"Get yourself out. I thought you were strong enough to be part of the Akatsuki" Kakashi's jaw moved beneath his mask, though his voice was Itachi's.

"Do you think you would last a week until that Shizaru curse? You can barely look at your ally, and this is just a weak imitation. This is not just about you Mai; you have involved unwilling players into this debacle. You have done well to get this far, but any further, and you will lose yourself."

"I won't" I said, trying to sound forceful and certain.

"It has already started,' the fake Kakashi returned. "Do you even remember him? What you are fighting for?"

The doppelganger pulled down its mask, but the face that lay underneath was not Kakashi's. The features shifted and distorted before my eyes, as my brain struggled to piece together the correct version.

But the face never settled, and I realised that my efforts to forget had been too successful.

I gathered myself again, and stared the imitation before me straight in the eye.

"Why do you have to be such an asshole?"

I felt a sudden rushing in my head, and then Kakashi disappeared, and Itachi stood before me once more.

"This is the kindest I will ever be."

I felt a pang of loss at Kakashi's disappearance, but I focused once more.

"I'm not going. Do not ask again."

I turned on my heel and walked away.

* * *

Itachi looked up at the night sky; it was cloudy, and this was good. The messenger hawk swayed slightly on his shoulder, its talons squeezing the hard flesh slightly. It was cold tonight, and the weather would only become increasingly bitter the further south they headed.

Everyday they moved closer to the Shizaru Altar; the traditional location for the practising of the pact. Once Maia accepted the ritual, she would be bound to him, and her freewill would be vanquished.

However, as it had occurred to him a few nights ago, there was a bleak hope for her. He was not much longer for this world. Itachi felt the disease mutate and take stronger hold over his body every day, and accepted that if it did not kill him soon, Sasuke would eventually.

But even if the pact was nullified after his death, he could not trust the other Akatsuki. He new well enough that on more than one occasion it was her very affiliation with him that prevented her immediate execution.

She needed to get out now. Itachi's tired eyes traced his barren surroundings. She needed to escape, but for now there was nowhere for her to hide.

At the moment they were making their way through a desolate, banal landscape. They had not come across water or any sort of vegetation in the last few days, but such desperate conditions were not new. Itachi was used to travelling hungry, as was Kisame, but they had both long learned to ignore the hunger pangs, and they carried a few soldier pills with them at all times. Mai adapted quickly, and had not complained once.

Itachi narrowed his eyes. She grew more aloof by the day, as if she were methodically shutting down her basic human functions. However, though she ignored or smothered any and all distress she felt, such emotions found another outlet, and her demons were written over her face.

The hawk fluttered its wings and crooned lowly in Itachi's ear, reminding him of his purpose. Pain had sent Itachi instructions in regards to the ceremony, and the sheer number of ninja moving to the spot to watch the ritual. Now Akatsuki affiliates and top mercenaries were on the move to the location to bear witness to Maia's official induction. Out of all members of the Akatsuki ten, only he, Kisame and perhaps Zetsu would be present at the ceremony; the others being busy with Jinchuuriki capture.

Itachi reached up towards the bird, and it obediently attached itself to his waiting fingers. He stroked its wings gently, and checked once more that his message was firmly attached. He dispatched the silent animal into the air, and watched it fly up into the cover of the clouds.

* * *

Itachi did not speak to me for a week; and given that Kisame and I were all but indifferent to one another, it made for several awkward situations. We were less than a day away from the Altar, and I was beginning to feel nervous. I knew that it wasn't just Kisame, Itachi and I going. The important members of the Mercenaries were to attend, as well as an Overseer to perform the pact. Even if I decided to flee, there was no escape at this point.

Itachi's condition deteriorated further, and he had taken to going on long walks into the wild. I wasn't all surprised when I woke up one morning, and found that he and his belongings had disappeared in the night.

Kisame was a little way off from our camp, sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed. I rubbed my eyes wearily; sleep was no longer refreshing – it was plagued with nightmares and anxiety.

I stood and stretched, and decided to break the silence early.

"Oy, where's Itachi?" I asked over my shoulder.

Kisame didn't flinch, or show any sign that he had heard me. He was still, but tense, as though he were preparing for an attack.

I tried again.

"I said-,"

"I don't know." He cut across tersely. "Why do you need to know?"

Something was slightly off in his demeanour, but I shrugged it off. There was a lot to plan for in the near future, everyone was on edge.

"Just…Making conversation."

I kneeled and rummaged around in my pack for something to eat.

"How juvenile."

I looked back at him, though he still had not moved.

"Making conversation is?"

"Feeling the need to fill a silence."

His Samehada was out of his reach, and I figured that it was safe to pester him further.

"I'm sorry Kisame,' I said lightly, 'you've just been so quiet lately, and I thought you must be lonely. After all, there's a lot to talk about – I'm about to be an official Akatsuki."

Kisame snorted and opened one eye.

"Whatever kid, you're just a groupie."

I didn't know whether to laugh or be annoyed, but Kisame seemed keen to fill in the silence. He started to get up, and stretched his muscles awake from his meditation.

"Hell, I admit that you have some skill, but you don't deserve to be in the actual Akatsuki. It's just a stunt to prove your loyalty. I reckon Pain doesn't think you'll go through with this ritual – he probably trusts you less than I do."

I stuck my chin out at him.

"Well, I guess it's a good thing that you're not in charge. And if I'm a groupie, you're just the pet. A weird, blue novelty."

His eye twitched dangerously, though his mouth stretched into a terrible smile, revealing his rows of pointed teeth.

"Now, now, girl. Let's not start name-calling. I'm just stating the facts; and I am reasonable. If you make it all the way up to the altar and seal the deal with Itachi, then fine. You would be part of Akatsuki, and it would be out of my hands."

I watched him carefully, waiting for him to continue, but he seemed distracted. He looked around for a moment, and then he spotted his Samehada. He walked towards it and then sat down against the tree trunk; the weapon in his lap.

Kisame took his time unravelling its many coverings and bandages. Finally he seemed to gather his thoughts and he looked back up at me. There was a new, menacing glint in his eye.

"But let's get one thing clear right now,' he continued. 'If you show any hesitation during the ceremony; if you so much as look back over your shoulder when you walk to the altar, I will kill you."

The Samehada seemed to shiver in his lap, its long black spikes now visible.

"I like it here, and I won't let some traitorous bitch that Itachi has a crush on ruin this set-up. Understand?"

His hands had stilled, and he watched me, waiting for a response. Had he spoken to me this way two years ago, I would have felt fear, or dread. But I had trained myself to ignore those emotions.

And if he chose to attack me now, he would not escape unscathed.

I grew bored with the intensity of the moment and shrugged. I went back to searching through my bag.

"Well it's good that you got that off your chest Kisame,' I said calmly as my hand closed around an apple. I stood and looked at him thoughtfully.

"I never knew that I was such a threat. Good to know." I finished, and took a bite out of the fruit, before walking to the forest.

* * *

Tsunade was in an excellent mood.

She had woken up to the first rays of summer after attaining a solid eight hours of sleep. A rare achievement in her vocation. Then she had walked through the tower to her office, where she was presented with the daily report by Shizune. Mission success rates were at the highest they had ever been, Konoha's public relations were overall positive and hospital admittance was down. She had had several assistants move her desk up three flights of stairs to the roof of Hokage tower, were she now sat, completing the last of the very small amount of paperwork she had been gifted this morning.

Tsunade lay down her pen for a moment, and tilted her head back into the sunlight. A cool breeze played with the loose strands of her hair. It had been a peaceful week, all in all. It was about time she had had a break amongst the chaos. Somewhere below her came the laughter of village children racing about the streets. She could hear music being played from a civilian apartment nearby

The breeze suddenly turned into a chilling gust of wind, and Tsunade snapped open her eyes and grabbed at the papers threatening to blow away.

"Shit, there's always some goddamn thing." She muttered, feeling her mood begin to slip. Tsunade settled her papers and rolled her shoulders – she was determined not to lose her cool. She closed her eyes again and took a few deep breaths.

However, the moment Tsunade's calm was regained; there was a piercing squawk somewhere in the distance. She opened her eyes and looked around curiously. At first she missed it, but when the noise occurred again, her eyes seized on the small floating shape in the distance.

She stilled and watched as the bird drew closer, pointed in her direction. Tsunade swallowed hard, but could not shake her sudden feeling of anxiety. She rose from her makeshift office and walked quickly over to the edge of the roof.

The bird put on speed and she leaned over the railing to catch the creature on her arm.

One glance told her that the hawk was not of Konoha origin; it was thin and its black feathers were dull. It carried a scroll case attached to its leg, which she removed quickly. Once its quarry was removed, the hawk flapped its wings violently and took off, scratching her arm as it went.

Tsunade sat back down at her desk and removed the scroll from its holder and unrolled it slowly. Her eyes widened in shock and her heart skipped a beat.

Her curses echoed around Konoha.

* * *

Kakashi passed briskly through Konoha's gates with an unsettling feeling in his stomach. He felt tense, and he couldn't shrug a feeling of dread that had remained with him since his departure. Hana followed in his footsteps, exhausted from their mission together.

Kakashi was weary, though he was used to such missions. It had only been B class, escorting a Feudal Lord to a colony in the sand, but as Hana was only of Chunin rank it had been important to her.

Things were going well between them, though their progress had been slow. Kakashi knew this was largely his fault, and was grateful for Hana's patience.

There was a sudden shout from the direction of the Hokage's tower. Kakashi looked confusedly over his shoulder at Hana, but she appeared not to have heard it. He shrugged it off and kept walking. All he wanted at this point was to collapse into bed.

Kakashi heard hurried footsteps behind him and suddenly Hana was beside him, holding his hand. She smiled up at him as they walked through the village.

They walked in silence towards his apartment; it was just second nature at this point.

Kakashi couldn't help but notice the sudden activity above them. Ninja had started leaping from the rooftops, all heading in the same direction. As they came to an intersecting street, Kakashi was able to confirm their destination. He paused and watched as others raced the same way. He saw Gai leaping from the civilian police quarters roof; his face was strained and his eyes were set on the tower.

"I wonder what's going on?" Hana said conversationally, though she tugged gently on his hand.

Kakashi didn't move. He watched the tower, and the ninja eventually stopped coming. He became aware of his sense of dread again, and swallowed hard. It was as if someone had walked over his grave.

He was not a superstitious man, but had he not known any better…

"Kakashi." She said softly, pulling at him again.

He blinked and resumed focus on what he was supposed to be doing.

"Yeah, right" He said hoarsely.

No sooner had he taken a step in the other direction, did the Hokage's own messenger bird fly overhead and circle over him.

Tsunade's summons.

Kakashi let go on Hana's hand and raced to the tower.

* * *

Tsunade paced distractedly in the space where her desk normally stood in her office. A group of ninja stood in front of her, watching curiously. She had not known whether it wise to call on Kakashi for such a delicate matter, but reasoned that if he were left out, there would be hell to pay.

Besides, they would need the best for this kind of operation, and his involvement was the best bet for success.

She was so angry with the girl; how could she not contact the village the very minute the situation arose? Did she not understand the gravity of the danger she was in?

The window behind Tsunade slid open, and Kakashi stepped into the office and silently moved to stand with the group of ninja. In all there were nine of the best Jounin still in the village, including Might Gai and Sarutobi Asuma. It was best to gather those who had been close to Mai; they were most likely to take the mission seriously and look past the lies of the previous two years.

The message was crumpled in Tsunade's fist, and Shizune stood to her left. Her arms held scrolls with the finer details of the mission.

Tsunade cleared her throat.

"Time is limited, so I will make this as brief as possible. You all recall the desertion of the Ninja Sumiko Maia. She joined the Akatsuki Mercenaries and had apparently allied herself with them. Akatsuki have become a very serious threat to the welfare of Konoha, and in order to defend the village from their plans, I sent her away to gather information about the organisation so we could better arm ourselves in the future. Sumiko Maia is every inch the dedicated ninja to Konoha; she is no traitor."

She watched the ninja cast sidelong looks in Kakashi's direction, though the copy-nin remained expressionless.

"She has travelled through the ranks of the Mercenaries, and her induction into Akasuki is scheduled little over a day from now,' she hurried on. Shizune started handing out scrolls.

"In order to prove her loyalty to Akatsuki, she must partake in the Shizaru Pact, which guarantees her allegiance to them on pain of death. This means that once the pact is observed, she will never return home. The location and finer points of the mission are in the scrolls. She does not know you are coming, and has already agreed to partake in the pact. You may have to take her by force; but bring her home. Alive."

Her audience still said nothing, still processing the enormity of what she was saying. She looked over at the clock on the wall before she dismissed them.

"Asuma, you are team captain. You have 33 hours. Go."

* * *

**Stay tuned for the next chapter - it's going to be aaawesome.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Thank you all so much for the lovely reviews :3, enjoy!**

I followed Itachi as we entered the Altar grounds. It was not as I had expected; the Altar was made from grey stone, and set many steps above the ground in the middle of a large clearing. The clearing was surrounded by thick forest and then rolling hills; the last few hours had been quite the trek to reach this small valley. A little way to the east of the podium, stood a long, low slung building, which appeared to be made from the same stone as the Altar.

The surrounding hills blocked the sun, and the entire location was clothed in shadow. I stifled a shudder. Generally the place was unremarkable, but I still had a strong feeling of unease, which only increased the closer I came to the Altar.

The others did not seem in the least bit phased by the place and headed straight for the building.

Itachi knocked on the wooden door. Nothing happened for a moment, and I considered asking to come back another time. Then there was a sudden series of low clicks and thuds from the other side before a window in the door finally slid open.

A man stood at the gap, and I refrained from stepping back. His face was waxy and yellow and his hair hung about his withered face in matted white clumps. His eyes were white; he was blind.

He said nothing, nor showed any sign that he knew we stood only inches from him. His slash of a mouth finally stretched wide, revealing many rotting teeth. He let out a terrible gasping sound, and I had the sudden sensation of something cold slipping through me. I looked up at Itachi, but his face was expressionless; Kisame was calmly studying his fingernails.

The mans jaws snapped back together with a sickening 'pop'. He seemed to think for a moment, before –

"The others are already here. You are late." His voice was barely above a whisper, though it was rasping and dry.

"We took the back roads to avoid drawing attention from the Hidden Villages." Itachi uttered shortly. He had barely finished speaking with a similar series of thuds and clicks came from the door. The window slid shut and the door slowly opened.

I caught a glimpse of the man hobbling away into the shadows. Kisame pushed in front of me and followed the man before disappearing out of sight. Itachi's hand found my shoulder and he gently led me forwards.

The door closed behind us, shutting out all light. The cold I felt increased, and this time I did shiver. Itachi ignored it. His Sharingan gleamed through the dark, and I let his steer me around.

"Who was that?" I asked after a time. My eyes had still not adjusted to the dark, and I was getting a headache from the strain.

"Majo. He's the holy-man; he performs the jutsu for the pact." Itachi answered simply. I nodded, assuming that he could see me.

"And what did he mean; 'the others are here?' all the people coming can't fit in this place."

I suddenly noticed that the path was gradually sloping downwards when Itachi answered.

"This building sits over a large cavern, there's plenty of room. These sorts of rituals happen more often that you think; the Akatsuki are not the only ones to use this place."

We walked in silence, and I concentrated on memorising the journey through the dark, just in case I needed to get out again.

After another five minutes of walking, I saw light in the distance. Candles were jammed in brackets along the walls, and I could finally see where I was going. A little further along and doors began to dot the wall-sides. Muffled voices reached my ears, and I got the impression of a large gathering somewhere in the distance.

However, Itachi's hand tightened slightly on my shoulder before we reached the group and we stopped outside a large black door.

"This is where I leave you."

"What?" I balked. My voice echoed through the tunnel, and the murmur of voices halted for a moment.

Itachi pulled me closer to the door and spoke softly.

"You are to stay here for the rest of the night. Someone will come to retrieve you in the morning before the ceremony; it's just the way it has to be."

"Why?" I asked grumpily, though keeping my voice low.

Itachi seemed to hesitate slightly before he answered.

"It's to make sure you can't arrange an escape with one of the people in attendance. This place is designed to make sure none do. We are so far below ground in a labyrinth built to keep people in, that it is near impossible anyway, but this is all just a…precaution."

Finally able to see in the gloom, I could distinguish Itachi's tension in his face. He was worried, and this knowledge did nothing for my nerves. I swallowed hard and nodded at him.

"What are you going to do?" I asked, not wanting to be alone just yet.

"I'm going to join the people down the way; we need to arrange security and patrols for tomorrow."

We stared at each other for a moment, and I had the odd sensation that we were saying our final farewells. He had left me alone in far more dangerous scenarios before, with far less ceremony than now.

"This is my room?" I asked finally, looking towards the door next to us. Itachi nodded, and leaned forwards to open it for me. I passed over the threshold, and was relieved to feel that the room was heated. I turned to face him in the doorway.

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow then." I said, trying to sound braver than I felt. Itachi was staring at me, seeming to struggle with himself. He opened his mouth to say something, and then thought the better of it. Instead, he leaned forward and kissed my forehead.

Then he drew back, nodded again, and closed the door softly behind him.

* * *

They ran through the trees for hours, but Kakashi had no notion of stopping. He didn't know how to feel about the information he had received only mere hours ago. Indeed, he didn't now how he would react when he saw her again. God, he was so angry, he didn't know whether to kiss her or strangle her.

He knew Gai and Asuma were watching him carefully, communicating silently behind him. The others seemed to be holding their breath, waiting for a reaction.

But Kakashi was not dramatically inclined. Intense emotion would jeopardise the mission.

As he flew through the trees, he made the conscious decision to swallow his emotions until they had fulfilled their goal and had brought Mai back to Konoha.

He set his mind to the task at hand, and blocked out all other thoughts.

Kakashi didn't even realise how much time passed before Asuma gave the command for the team to stop.

"What for?" Kakashi bit out, frustration gripping him. They were pushed for time as it was, they couldn't stop for breaks – what was Asuma thinking?

Asuma was calm as he lit a cigarette. He looked back at Kakashi blandly.

"It's too dark to see, and if we continue, we will only attract attention. Have you not noticed just how loud we are?"

Kakashi gritted his teeth, but reminded himself to stay impassive and put personal feelings aside.

"We will rest for three hours, and then we will continue." Asuma gave the cue for the ninja to disperse and find the most comfortable patch of ground they could. Once the others were out of earshot, Asuma and Gai approached Kakashi warily.

"I know this is hard for you; we understand,' Asuma said quietly after a strained silence, 'but you are not at full strength as it is. We may only be going up against mercenaries, but it's still Akatsuki. You need to rest if we have a hope in hell of pulling this off. She's not going anywhere until after the ceremony – we have time."

Gai watched Kakashi solemnly. They had known one another the longest, and though their relationship had started as rivalry, beneath the bravado, they were friends before anything else.

Kakashi had been waiting for Gai to comment on the situation; his friend had a bizarre fascination where he and Mai were concerned. So when Gai finally opened his mouth, Kakashi prepared himself for something light and crass.

"I never truly believed that she had deserted Konoha, you know', Gai said calmly.

"I saw her only minutes before she left, and I knew something was amiss. I've known her as long as you have Kakashi, and I believe that she thought she was acting for the best."

Kakashi grimaced slightly.

"Yeah, that's what I hoped, but then I'd remind myself that she sunk a knife three inches into my chest."

"But didn't you think it odd that an apprentice of Tsunade, a medical ninja, would miss the heart? What she must have been thinking when you showed up that night – what do you think would have happened if she hadn't stepped up? Do you think that Uchiha or the shark thing would have let you go?"

Kakashi was silent. He had tried to avoid thinking about her for so long, and yet Gai, who he had dismissed at times as shallow and childish, had behaved as a ninja, and a man, should.

"I don't know that her not telling you was the right thing to do…But she has successfully protected Konoha for two years and made huge discoveries within the Akatsuki – and she's saved your sorry ass several times. So when we get her back, and we will, don't be too hard on her. She sacrificed a lot to save us."

Asuma was staring at Gai in shock; his cigarette had fallen out of his gaping mouth. Kakashi's mouth twitched into a small smile, and he closed his eyes for a moment.

"G-Gai,' Asuma stuttered, before he collected himself, '…Well said, and I thought you slightly simple."

Gai shrugged and grinned.

"I have my moments. But for now we should rest up - the fiery dragons of Konoha feast on Akatsuki scum at dawn! Fitful slumber to young and old!"

"…and he's back." Kakashi murmured.

* * *

The next morning, Gai crouched in front of the map supplied by Tsunade of the area to be invaded. The others stood back as they watched Gai point and chatter excitedly about plans of attack and strategies.

"There are nearly one hundred members of the Akatsuki Mercenaries attending this thing. We have nine Jounin. So numbers are a bit of a problem." Asuma contributed.

"But I think we could overcome that with-,"

"Oy! You said I could tell them!" Gai interrupted angrily.

"Then get to the bloody point!" Asuma grumbled back. Some of the others looked to Kakashi to give input, but in cases such as these, he found it was better to remain silent.

Gai huffed, and gestured back to the map.

"The Altar is in the middle of a large clearing. There are three rings of security around this clearing, presumably teams of two to three guards in each ring. They will be lowly members of the mercenaries, but do not discredit them just on that basis. Akatsuki have a habit of surprise.

"Anyway, as we are outnumbered, our best chance is to create a distraction. I'm thinking Mass Shadow Clones all around, and we take them by surprise. We continue to send them out for one minute, and capture Maia. We get her to the edge of the forest, where one of our real bodies will take over and whisk her away to Konoha. Simple, huh?"

Gai grinned at the group proudly.

"It's not perfect." Asuma said after seeing the unimpressed looks of his team. "But I want to get everyone out alive. Real bodies only go into the field in an emergency. We will divide into teams of three and surround the clearing before I give the signal for the clones. It's our best shot to get her in the midst of confusion."

Everyone was silent again, until –

"I guess we had better get moving then." Kakashi said calmly, before heading for the forest.

* * *

Kisame swung his sword cheerfully down the dark corridors of the Shizaru Station. He was the designated guard for the Konoha bitch, and it was his duty to retrieve her from the detention chamber once proceedings were ready on the surface.

He rolled his eyes to himself; if the Akatsuki were actually letting in trash like this, it was hardly going to remain elite.

But whatever. He could just leave if things got really bad.

Kisame reached the girls room, and opened the well-oiled door silently. She was sitting at a mirror, staring blankly at her reflection. Kisame paused for a moment, watching her carefully for any sign of second thoughts.

The girl was wearing a red dress for the occasion; her normal, ugly training attire discarded somewhere.

As he watched, she lifted one hand and traced the scar that ran along her chest. It was jagged and ugly.

_She should cover that up, clumsy girl,_ Kisame thought to himself. What Itachi saw in this weakling was beyond his understanding.

He pushed the door open sharply so it banged against the wall. He was pleased to see her jump slightly. She turned away from the mirror to glare at him.

"Is _that _really necessary?" He asked mockingly, gesturing at the dress.

"It came with the room; it is a ceremony after all." She answered haughtily.

Oh how Kisame would love to cut her up and save Itachi the trouble of realising what a pain in the ass this girl was.

"Whatever. We're starting."

Kisame turned away and into the dim hallway, and the girl hurried to catch him up.

* * *

Kisame walked me down the pathway in the middle of the dense crowd that had assembled in front of the Altar. I felt many pairs of eyes follow my journey, and the whispers that fell in my wake.

I wondered just how many of these people already wanted to kill me – spots in the Akatsuki were extremely hard to come by. I wondered how many hoped that I would run or turn back, just so they had an excuse.

I fixed my eyes on the ground, remembering Kisame's threat a few days before.

I wished I had remained in my training gear, at least it was warm. The dress was fine in the heated bedroom, but I had forgotten the cold on the surface; in fact, the chill increased the closer I came to the Altar steps.

I looked up, some thirty feet above ground and saw Majo and Itachi waiting above. Majo's white eyes followed my movements, despite his blindness. I remembered the night before, the odd sensation I experienced when he met us, and wondered if the cold I felt came from him.

"Up you go weakling." Kisame grabbed my shoulder and pushed me towards the steps. I threw him off angrily, and set about climbing. The stairs were cracked, jagged and shallow, and I made not tripping over my only focus.

The audience followed my ascent; I felt every stare as if it were a brand on my skin.

I reached the top, which was a long flat platform. Neither man spoke when I reached them, so I turned silently towards Itachi. I shrugged at him slightly, and he replied with a small nod.

"Good,' Majo's rasping voice interrupted, 'we shall begin."

* * *

Yowai did not sign up for this. He scowled down at his muddy boots; he'd wanted to watch the ceremony at the Altar. But he, being one of the lower in rank in the group had been ordered for guard duty.

At least it was in the inner-circle of defence, his ever optimistic partner, Toru, had pointed out.

The other ninja had a point, it would have sucked big time if they had been assigned to the wasteland - at least they were close by.

Still, Yowai resumed his scowl; he'd rather be with his friends.

Toru was sitting on the ground near-by whistling cheerfully. Yowai had no idea how he had even gotten into the mercenaries, he was such a flake. Toru pulled out his weapons, and started polishing his already immaculate kunai.

"Do you think they've done it yet?" Toru said wistfully. Yowai grunted.

"I can't believe she's climbed this far – in just over two years! She must be fantastic, have you ever met her? I hear she's a total bitch, with awful hair too." Toru tried again.

Yowai pointedly ignored the younger ninja. He had an image to uphold.

Toru clicked his tongue at the lack of response and decided to disregard Yowai from now on.

That is, until Toru felt the slight surge of chakra. He paused and looked over his shoulder. Yowai was still sulking, and did not show any sign of noticing the signal.

Perhaps it was just an animal; a bear or something. Still, Toru put away his set; just in case. Yowai glanced at him but said nothing.

Toru could not relax, the hair on the back of his neck were on end. He began to fidget with two kunai, stabbing them into the ground as he searched the woodlands with his eyes. The signal was extremely faint, most would miss it, but chakra sensory was his speciality.

"Can't you feel that?" He finally asked exasperatedly.

"What?" Yowai said gruffly, playing with the zip of his coat. He didn't want to socialise with Toru anymore than he had to.

Toru didn't reply; now looking into the dark forest behind him.

"I'm going to go on patrol. You stay here okay?" Toru spoke again, taking a hesitant step towards the dark. Yowai waved him away. He wasn't going to do any more work than necessary, and if Toru wanted to go for a walk, that was good.

_Give me some damned peace_, Yowai thought grumpily.

Toru gave Yowai one more glance; truthfully, he would have liked Yowai to join him. Yes, he was superb at chakra sensing, the best in three countries, but he was not particularly mighty or powerful. Yowai was an idiot, but at least he could hold off an enemy long enough for Toru to run away.

Still, just because he was a weakling didn't mean he would advertise that fact by asking Yowai for help, so after a deep breath Toru disappeared into the woods.

It was not until ten minutes had gone by that Yowai felt the first pangs of anxiety. Toru had not returned, nor had he sent word of his findings. And to top it off, he now had the feeling that he was being watched.

Yowai closed his eyes for a moment and felt for chakra signals, though there were none. He grunted again.

_Stupid Toru, putting ideas in my head._

But the feeling of being watched did not go away. Yowai's stomach tensed in anticipation. He looked back into the shadows again, though it was impossible to see anything in the unusually dark forest.

"Toru! I'm going to kick your ass for this! Get out here right now!" He shouted at the close set trees. He'd hoped to give the stupid ninja a fright, something to make him give away his position. But the forest stood still and silent around him. Yowai yelled again; it made him feel slightly braver.

"I'm serious Toru! I'll knock your damn block off!"

Nothing happened for a moment, and Yowai decided that he must have scared Toru away. He smirked to himself; yes that was it.

It was not until Yowai heard a faint frenzied chirping sound that it occurred to him to be seriously worried. And by the time he turned to defend himself, his vision was filled with blue lightening before darkness consumed all.

* * *

My teeth had started chattering at this point. I laid my hands in Itachi's so that my right palm faced upwards, and the other supported his right hand, also pointed at the sky. Majo's voice picked up. He excitedly chanted words in a language unfamiliar to me and raised his own hands skywards. The wind picked up, chilling me further. Itachi was staring at me intensely, his mouth set in a grim line.

Below the Altar, about one hundred faces were upturned towards us. No one moved or whispered, standing in awe of the holy-man's dramatics.

Nerves would come in waves, settling in my stomach, before rushing numbness quashed the emotion. I felt as if I were watching this entire thing happen to me, as if it were beyond my capability to understand the magnitude of such an event. There was no thought in my mind; I was completely adrift from my circumstances, as nothing I did now mattered.

Majo's rambling slowed suddenly, and finally stopped. He lowered his hands from the sky and reached deep into his dirty robes. He pulled out a knife with a long narrow blade. It was dark and dull in shine, the sharp edge rusted over with decay and blood.

_Itachi was right. I won't survive this; I'll die of blood poisoning before I betray anyone _I thought blandly.

I finally met Itachi's eye. From beneath the fog of indifference I had cast upon myself, I was vaguely surprised that he hadn't tried anything to get me away. After all the nagging and worrying on his behalf, he had given up on getting rid of me fairly easily.

The priest resumed his chanting, but it was now in a low whisper. I sensed our audience lean forward in excitement.

_I guess this is it_; the thought floated through my head.

Itachi looked down at our hands, and guided them together. His hands were on the top and bottom, pinning mine in the middle. The priest raised the knife above his head, and I realised that he intended to plunge it through our palms.

I looked away, out over the masses. I looked above the tree tops, at the rolling green hills that hid us. White Mountains were barely visible, sitting behind the wasteland we had trudged wearily through.

The priest's voice grew louder; the knife was raised above his head.

Beyond that lay the swamp, and an ocean, a meadow.

His voice grew shrill as the knife trembled.

And somewhere in the world further away than I could imagine, was Konoha.

Itachi's body suddenly tensed, and my attention was dragged back to him. His face was impassive, though there was a triumphant gleam in his eyes.

The knife plunged down towards our hands.

A kunai whistled through the air and Itachi threw me backwards. The kunai sank into Majo's forehead, crackling with blue light.

And then I saw them. Wave upon wave of Shadow clones surged out of the forest and fell upon the shocked mercenaries. My numbness vanished in an instant, giving way to all consuming relief.

Itachi watched silently for a moment, before Kisame started shouting far below.

"Somebody told! Who the _fuck _opened their damned mouth?" He swung his Samehada in an arc at advancing clones, which disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Realisation hit me like lightening, and I turned towards Itachi, just in time to duck under his attack.

* * *

Kakashi tore out from the cover of the trees, ignoring Asuma's command. The real bodies were supposed to stay behind unless it was absolutely necessary. But Itachi had turned to throw a punch at Mai, and that was the last thought he gave to the team leader. He shielded himself with the clones, which still poured from the surrounding forest.

He grabbed a kunai and set it through a mercenaries gut. There were suddenly several Asuma's around him. They rolled their eyes at him in annoyance, but worked quickly to clear his path towards the Altar.

Itachi kicked out at me again, but I jumped over his leg and pushed him back with a chakra fuelled palm. I knew what he had done. I'd been wrong that he had given up; he had gone above my head and straight to the Hokage. Our attacks slowed for a moment as his genjutsu rushed by me, containing the simple message: _Run._

Kakashi sent five of his clones to stop Kisame's climb up the steps. The blue ninja's fury was palpable. Not that he had time to watch his clones fight; a one armed ninja suddenly blocked his path amongst the chaos. With its free hand, it tore the wrappings from the bottom of its face, revealing a hole where its mouth should have been. Kakashi's Sharingan narrowed in on the chakra focused in its throat, and he threw himself out of the way as a jet of something black shot forth. Several clones that had stood in its way evaporated on the spot, and two of the enemy dropped dead. The things eyes shone in delight as it set its sights on Kakashi.

* * *

Itachi's attacks came thick and fast, though I was able to deflect them all. I realised that he was fighting at full force, though without the Sharingan. Anyone who saw us and reported to Akatsuki would say they saw Itachi fighting to contain the traitor as hard as he could.

He shot a kunai out at my stomach, but I used the replacement jutsu. A clone appeared beneath him, and attempted the head hunter jutsu. It failed, though it drew his attention long enough for me to run up and kick him in the chest.

But more ninja were running up the steps to help contain me.

I weaved hand signs and summoned the fire bird. It wouldn't last as long without the Hou-ou, but it would do. The bird swooped on the enemy and knocked most of them back.

And then there, through the flames and smoke, I saw him.

We locked eyes for a moment, before Kisame swung his Samehada into my side and knocked me off the Altar.

* * *

Kakashi watched Mai's fall in horror. However, another jet of black light from the ninja before him brought him back to his senses. Anger flashed through him again, and this time he reacted.

Kakashi shot beneath the ray, and swept the things legs. Before it even hit the ground, a clone reached up from underground, wrapped an arm around its neck, and buried the ninjas head below the surface.

Kakashi was up and running, leaving his clones to finish the ninja off. He needed to grab Mai and go – the clones were meant to be nothing but a distraction, and at least half had been destroyed by now. It took a lot of chakra to produce so many and sustain them all, so he had to act fast.

* * *

As I fell through the air, the only thought that whirred about my head was of Kakashi's face looking up at me. He came, he actually came.

But for now, I was going to die if I didn't do something…

I powered chakra to my legs and feet and summoned a clone. She turned me around in the air, and manoeuvred beneath me. The ground raced up to meet us, and I landed upright on my clone. She took most of the impact, and my legs were only a little jarred.

I looked up to where I fell, forty feet at least, and saw Kisame glaring down from the top. I took a step backwards to run, when he jumped from the Altar.

I turned and sprinted in the direction I remembered Kakashi to be in, but suddenly I was surrounded by the clones. I could no longer tell who was real, and the enemy had begun to notice my presence. I ducked and weaved by them, intending to head for the forest when someone grabbed my forearm and dragged me back.

When I looked back I realised it was Kakashi. I opened my mouth to say something, anything, when a kunai flew over our heads.

"Later" was all he said before we started to run.

Clones worked quickly to clear a path as we sprinted through the commotion. He never let go of my arm, as though he were afraid I would try to escape. He reached into his kunai holster and pulled out a knife, one of the Fourth's transportation weapons.

But we were drawing attention to ourselves, and more and more of the mercenaries began pursuit. Itachi and Kisame were nowhere in sight.

Kakashi threw the knife as hard as he could over the forest. He let go of my forearm and grabbed my hand tightly; we couldn't disappear until the knife landed.

The hair on the back of my neck prickled as I turned to look over my shoulder. I watched in horrified slow motion as Kisame appeared out of the crowd. He stretched his Samehada back, and its spines pierced through the restrictive fabrics.

It swung forwards – it was going to hit –

"N-," Was all I could breathe before Kakashi's hand tightened around mine and what felt like a strong wind hit me.

The next thing I knew, I was running in a dark, silent forest.

* * *

A Kunai sank into Kisame's hand, halting his attack just before they disappeared. The blue ninja whirled around angrily to face his attacker. Itachi stood on the edge of the baffled crowd.

He shrugged when Kisame spotted him.

"Sorry, I missed."

* * *

Kakashi slowed, and pulled me to a halt. He let go of my hand, panting, and stared at me.

Where was Itachi at this moment? I hoped he was okay, after everything. This must have been hard for him too…

Kakashi was still yet to say anything.

I didn't know what to say or where to begin. I was still sure that any moment the mercenaries would appear and drag me away, but when nothing happened, I had no choice but to turn my attention to Kakashi.

"A-are you okay?"

He nodded silently, apparently also lost for words.

I swallowed hard, I suddenly wanted to cry.

"I'm sorry. I'm so, so sor-,"

He pulled me roughly into his chest and held me silently while I cried.


	9. Chapter 9

I couldn't think of anything else to say or do other than apologise over and over. Kakashi was holding onto me so tightly; as though he thought I was going to disappear. Indeed, I could not believe that this was happening so abruptly.

I couldn't just stand like this anymore. I leaned back so I could look him in the eye, but in doing so, saw that his eyes were closed.

"Please say something. Yell. I'm sorry. I had to go."

When he finally looked at me, his gaze was distant and tired. Despite the shock of it all, I was started to notice the physical toll my actions had taken on him.

"Kakashi…" I pleaded.

He looked different that I remembered. Even just in touching him, I could feel how thin he had become. He looked tired, and older, though he still had his mask on. But despite all that, I knew the moment I saw him that my feelings had not changed. As much as I tried to stifle them over the last few years, they were back in force. Too bad I'd probably ruined everything.

And then he was back; his eyes focused, and the beginnings of a frown began to form. He tugged his mask down, and my breath hitched. He was just as beautiful as ever.

"You should have told me." He said wearily. He let me go, though he didn't move away.

"I know, I know. I'm sorry-,"

"You've said that already."

I almost couldn't bear the edge in his voice, though I knew I deserved whatever anger and resentment he had towards me. I, after all, had been the one to volunteer for this. I took a shuddering breath, and tried a different tact.

"I didn't want you to wait around for me, thinking that I'd be back. I didn't want you sitting around for two years waiting to come and get me; I didn't think I'd survive."

His gaze moved away from my face – he seemed to be looking at my throat. I bent my knees slightly, to look him in the eye.

"Kakashi?"

He glanced at me, but resumed staring at my throat. A muscle in his jaw twitched.

"I didn't want to cause you anymore pain,' I mumbled, 'but I can see I was wrong-,"

"How did you get that scar?" He asked flatly.

I frowned and looked down.

"What scar-,"

I suddenly realised what he was talking about. I saw the wound I had inflicted over two years ago with the knife Tsunade had given me. I frantically tried to think of a nice way of explaining it, but drew a blank.

Kakashi, however, seemed to have noticed his own lack of a scar, which was mighty unusual for someone almost stabbed through the heart, no matter what kind of healer had worked on him afterwards. He had worked out what I had done the moment he saw it.

"God, Mai. How could you have been so stupid – you could have killed yourself-,"

He cared. I lunged at him and caught his lips.

He stumbled slightly in surprise, but that only lasted a split second. His arms were back around me in a moment, and he kissed me back just as desperately. My skin tingled at his touch, and I melted into him. His hand buried themselves in my hair, keeping me close.

As if I was going anywhere now.

I hugged him closer, grabbing fistfuls of his shirt – we were going to tear each other apart…

Somewhere nearby a twig snapped, and we stopped immediately. I watched him carefully, and his eyes roamed all over my face. He finally released me, and I reluctantly let go of him.

"Later" He said quietly. He was right; this was not the time or place. I nodded and swallowed hard.

Kakashi moved away, shaking his head slightly.

"There's a meeting point a few miles from here. We should get moving."

"'Kay" I answered. I was embarrassed to realise my voice was faint and breathless.

_Get it together, Mai._

I cleared my throat and grinned.

"Okay. Let's go."

* * *

I smiled shyly at him as we cleared the thick forest. Maybe everything really would work out. I could have a home again, and perhaps even work things out with Kakashi.

There was undoubtedly a beating awaiting my return on Tsunade's behalf, but after all I had endured, it wouldn't be that bad.

She'd want to know all the details, especially of missions I had avoided telling her about. I'd done things I wasn't proud of over the last two years, and I would need to explain all of it. And then there were the villagers – what would they think?

We arrived at the Wasteland, the meeting point just up ahead.

Though I was deep in my thoughts, Kakashi's flung out arm was unnecessary. I had sensed them before I saw them, and was already screeching to a halt.

"Ah."

Twenty survivors of the Mercenaries stood silently before us, fringing the Wasteland. The rest of Team Konoha faced them, staunch and unyielding. Whatever spell of false peace they were under broke upon our arrival. Many pairs of eyes flickered in my direction, though still no one moved.

Asuma and Gai had their backs to me, as well as six other Konoha Nin. I licked my lips, sorting through the mercenaries mentally. I recognised some of them, though my knowledge on their abilities was somewhat limited – most of these members were from other Akatsuki bases around the world.

Kakashi moved slightly ahead of me, blocking me from sight.

I knew it was hopeless. We would lose this fight; Konoha nin were outnumbered two to one, and after the mass shadow clone attack, I was willing to bet that my rescuers were running low on chakra by this point.

"Unless you are planning to be carried home in pieces, I suggest you leave now." Asuma said calmly as he lit another cigarette. A few of the enemy smiled menacingly at him, though the majority were unaffected.

The tension was palpable, as either side measured the other. I could feel their eyes sweep over Kakashi and settle on me.

"What's the job?" I asked, snapping the enemy to attention. They looked more surprised by my address than Asuma's.

They appeared unwilling to answer, and some shuffled nervously.

"Kisame's orders." A hoarse voice sliced through the crowd. Kade appeared silently front and centre, bandages back in place on his mouth. I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Oh. You're still alive. Excellent." I answered dryly. Kakashi's hands tightened into fists.

"Unfortunately for you,' Kade hissed, 'and because you missed your opportunity to take my head, I'm going to take yours. Kisame is quite angry…"

The group started to fan out. Many looked annoyed at Kade's words.

The Konoha Nin remained motionless, though their eyes were alert. Fingers twitched towards kunai holsters, and some braced themselves for attack.

"And the reward?" I asked.

The clash of metal against metal made me jump; Kakashi blocked the offending kunai like lightening, and it clattered to the ground. My attacker remained hidden amongst the mercenary ranks, though Kade's eyes narrowed in a menacing smile. The mercenaries glanced at each other suspiciously, also searching for the perpetrator.

"Your head…For the next place in Akatsuki."

And as though Kade had given the instruction to attack, the enemy ninja leapt at us.

Two of the Konoha Nin I didn't recognise summoned shadow clones the moment Kade finished speaking, which held off the attack for perhaps a few seconds. Next, Asuma and Gai charged in, using Taijutsu to flatten the front runners.

Kakashi's arm swept above my head, and I heard someone choke and crash to the ground as he clothes-lined the ninja who had ran around. A smoke bomb went off somewhere in front of us, and Kakashi began to weave signs. A double appeared beside him, which made hand signs the moment it was created. I stood in shock and disbelief at my situation.

"What the fu-,"

The clone grabbed my arm and pulled me towards the ground. The original Kakashi summoned his Chidori as he ran away through the smoke.

"Take a breath." The clone said to me, before it dragged me below the ground.

It didn't stop to talk again, instead pulling me back in a direction away from the battle. I could hear muffled shouts and thuds above my head. It was pitch black, and I ran blindly after Kakashi; the earth parting for us as we moved. I shut my eyes tight to stop the dirt blinding me later, and I didn't dare open my mouth to ask where we were going.

No matter where we ran, no matter how far Kakashi thought he could take me on one gulp of air, it would never be far enough away from the Akatsuki. Not with a promise like Kisame's.

I frowned in the dark. What the hell had Itachi been thinking? How could he let Kisame do this to me?

Sure, I understood that he had to keep up appearances, but to risk so much and then let me get caught so quickly, what was the point?

Why would he let Kisame send these assholes…

There was an explosion above me, followed by the sound of a destroyed shadow clone. Light pierced my eyelids. I barely had time to blink before someone reached down and grabbed me by the throat.

I was yanked up out of the hole recently created and tossed beside it. The battle was thick around me, though no one seemed to realise that I had reappeared.

Kade stood above me, flexing his fingers, his dark eyes twitching wildly.

"You know, I should have beaten you to death with your other arm when I had the chance." I spat, scrambling to my feet.

"Hindsight is a great thing. But still, too bad." He snarled. He ripped the coverings from his mouth.

I ducked a little too late. A jet of black spewed from his mouth and grazed my arm. I didn't cry out, only barely keeping my wits. My flesh was seared and bloody where his attack had hit. I hit the ground and grabbed at my arm in pain. The wound throbbed angrily; I had been hit with pure chakra. There was no time to reassess my situation; Kade's leg came crashing down on me. This time, I was prepared. I stabbed my kunai into his calf and twisted it viciously.

I whipped around him as he fell backwards and caught his other leg. I twisted his ankle in way it shouldn't, mid-fall, and hyper-extended the joint.

I turned to run, only in time to duck someone else's attack. The Kunoichi did not recover her momentum in time, and I retaliated with a chakra coated chop to her wind-pipe.

But beyond her, others were coming, and the Konoha Nin were locked in battle. Clones were running around, helping where they could, but they were becoming easier and easier to destroy. Fatigue must have been setting in now, and my mouth went dry when one of the Konoha clones disappeared without even being touched.

We were going to lose.

_Itachi, how could you let him…_

And then it clicked.

It was just one last training match; he thought I could beat these guys. It was like an epiphany; I stood there in shock, staring dazedly at the advancing enemy. One man finally broke ranks and charged. I weaved signs, and used my fire-palm jutsu. I stretched out my arm and the last moment, and caught his face. I pushed him away, making him fall at his comrade's feet. A few looked hesitant; glancing at their teammates mutilated face, but the others took this as an invitation.

I crouched into a battle stance, and started running scenarios through my mind. Within seconds I found the weak-link, and the ones I could take out hard and fast.

But before anyone could attack, a jet of black came from behind, and ripped up the ground before the enemy.

"Get back you greedy bastards, she is mine."

I wasn't fast enough this time; Kade hit me over the head, and knocked out my vision for a moment. I fell forward, hard. He kicked me onto my back. I blinked rapidly, and saw his ugly face bearing down. I tried to roll away, but again black light burned the ground and blocked my escape.

Kade pulled out a kunai at leisure and admired it in his pale clammy hand. He placed a heavy foot on my chest, and bent down. Kade set the blade on my neck, exerting the slightest bit of pressure; just enough to draw blood.

"Now don't look so mad, kid. You always had this coming."

I scowled up at him, though I was oddly calm. I tuned out Kade's menacing words and listened to my slow steady heartbeat. Heat crept through my veins, and hairs on the back of my neck stood to attention.

"Don't worry; I'm not going to kill you just yet. First I'm going to murder your little hero squad there. And that boyfriend of yours, he's pissed me right off. I'm going to slaughter them, Mai. And you're going to watch. Then we're going back to headquarters, and I'm going to give you to Akatsuki. Alive."

I glared up at him. My heart rate was rising, though it had nothing to do with his words.

"No." I answered simply, "No you're not."

He appeared amused, and he lowered himself further.

"Oh? And what makes you think-,"

I jerked up and crashed my forehead with his. His head snapped back, and his grip on the knife loosened. I wrestled it away and plunged it up and under his rib cage.

I sensed the others surge towards me in one unanimous movement when it finally happened. Somewhere deep inside me there was a low _crack. _Molten energy welled inside my core, before all at once it detonated roared through me with such violence, I was sure I would be ripped apart. My chakra radiated and intensified with every heart beat. I watched the enemy scramble to halt their attack, but it was too late. A resounding pulse of white light signalled the Hou-ou's return; it knocked the attacking ninja off their feet.

My hair blew about my face, though it did nothing to impair my vision. This power, this vast increase in…in everything about me. I had forgotten what it had felt like to be with the Hou-ou – it was as though I had been wondering through a world of black and white and had finally returned to full colour.

My chakra was enormous. With it fanning out from me, I could feel every single person around me. I knew precisely where everyone was, recognised friend from foe, clone from real in a single second. I didn't need hand signs now, clones of my own peeled away from me, and moved silently and surely towards my teammates.

I focused my attention to my hands, and began to concentrate my chakra. I could hear my heart beating in my ears, though nothing else. I had noticed people shouting around me, though their mouths were soundless. It was as if I were trapped in a vortex of my own power; nothing beyond me mattered anymore.

It was easy to make the bomb now. It grew large, hovering slightly above my palm. It didn't shudder anymore, and I knew my days of fearing I would blow off a limb using this attack were over. The others were barely moving now, though their faces slowly moved from expressions of wonder to fear.

Somewhere around me, my clones reached their targets and embraced them. They fanned their chakra over the Konoha Nin, and shielded them from what was to come.

My heart was beating impossibly fast, and my ears were ringing. I thought for a moment I heard the Hou-ou cry, but a new sound cut out everything else. My bomb was starting to screech, and rotate on its axis. I finally looked up, and saw that the enemy had moved to run away, but they were too slow for me now.

I raised my other hand above the bomb, and compressed it down to almost miniscule scale. The screeching increased to an unbearable pitch, and the bomb was almost burning my palms. If not for the Hou-ou, I'd have killed myself by now…

I smiled down into my precious attack, and thought of all the pain of the last few years. Of what I had done for Akatsuki and Konoha. The nightmare my life had slipped in and out of.

I opened my hands, and watched the bomb uncurl before me.

My last thought before the wall of fire hit was of Itachi – I sure hoped he had been right.

* * *

Kakashi watched a crater rupture beneath Mai's feet and threw earth into the sky. She did not flinch at the explosion, though she stood in the middle. His Sharingan caught the path of the impact of the bomb, and his heart nearly stopped when he saw the impact turn to fire. She disappeared amongst the flames, and he lunged towards the spot on which she had stood.

Strong hands dug into his shoulder blades and pressed his arms to his sides. A clone had appeared in front of him and held him fast. His vision was entirely consumed with whiteness, though he sensed the wall of fire approach. It swept over him, and though he felt the heat hit his face, he was entirely unharmed.

And then it was over, the clone disappeared, and he heard the sound of several others dissipating.

The battlefield was silent, apart from the odd cough in the distance. Smoke hung about him, though Kakashi could sense still sense movement. He hurried silently towards the enormous crater Mai had created, stepping over the odd charred body of mercenaries. He could hear others moving towards Mai, and cast a cursory glance over the area.

He recognised his teammate's chakra instantly, and continued.

Gai was at the edge of the crater looking down. Kakashi reached him, and followed his gaze. Asuma was already in the pit, checking Mai's pulse. She was entirely uninjured, and her colour had returned to normal.

Asuma sighed, and fell backwards into a sitting position.

"She's asleep."

Some of the smoke cleared, and Kakashi could see that it was the truth. Mai lay curled in the middle of the pit in the foetal position, with a small smile on her face.

Gai swallowed hard.

"…Holy Shi-,"

"Yeah." Kakashi murmured.

* * *

"Ooooooow."

Everything was black. I couldn't remember where I was, or where I had fallen asleep. Where was Itachi? Surely it was time to get up now…Why did they have to pick such a crappy place to stay before the Pact, I had no idea what the time was in this darkness.

"Mai"

A voice floated somewhere above me.

Was someone in my room?

I winced, trying to focus on where the voice came from. Surely it was one of the mercenaries who had snuck in when Itachi went to sleep. I tried to lift myself out of bed, but found that my limbs were like lead.

I groaned involuntarily. God, I was so tired…and sore. My muscles felt three times their size, as though they had been systematically pounded.

"Mai, can you open your eyes?"

_My eyes are open, dumbass. You should just hurry up and turn on the lights, _I thought bitterly.

Still the location of the voice eluded me, but I could hear other, quieter ones around me now. How many people had managed to sneak into my room?

Suddenly a new voice emerged, deep and familiar.

"Mai…wake up." It ordered. Who did they think they were? Bossing me around like that. I must have scowled, because someone else spoke.

"Ha, look at her face, she remembers you then" A man said cheerfully. I could smell smoke…and disinfectant. Where was I again?

I clawed my way to full consciousness, though it brought even more pain to my limbs. My head throbbed angrily, though I was able to think slightly clearer.

I was lying on something soft, but I wasn't outside. I could feel sheets beneath my finger tips, and there was a stabbing pain in the crook of my right arm. I could hear the breathing of several people around me.

I concentrated all my energy into opening my eyes, and was momentarily blinded by the fluorescent light above my head.

Gai, Asuma, Kurenai stood around my bed. Kakashi was further away, leaning against the window sill.

My words died in my throat. I was in hospital; surrounded by…I was back in Konoha?

I looked quickly towards the window; my neck clicking as I did so. I ignored the pain, as I looked on in awe at the sprawling village before me. I was home.

There was a sudden cry to my left, and a weight was dropped on my stomach. Gai had thrown himself on me, sobbing hysterically.

"Mai, you stupid girl! I thought you were gone for good! I saw you that night! I should have dragged you home, but I was too wrapped up in my own prospects! Don't you ever do something like this again!"

I stared at him wide-eyed, unsure of how to react. Asuma looked embarrassed, and patted Gai awkwardly on the shoulder. Kurenai smiled gently at me.

I couldn't look at Kakashi.

How foreign it felt to be around these people. I realised how long it had been since I felt affection for a comrade, and I wasn't quite sure how to react to the friendly nature of their presence.

I cleared my throat, and tried to speak.

"Has Tsunade been in yet?" My voice was raspy and thin. The effort exhausted me; I wanted to go back to sleep.

"Yeah, she was here when we brought you in. What have you done to yourself?" Kunerai asked.

"Nothing" I answered confusedly.

"Aside from your most recent battle wounds, there are several from your past endeavours that have not been healed, and you are suffering from malnourishment, exposure, exhaustion and severe dehydration." Kakashi finally spoke. His mask was off, and he looked how I felt.

"Oh" Was all I could manage. Tsunade was definitely going to kill me.

There was an awkward silence, though no one seemed keen to break it. Aside from Kakashi, everyone was watching me eagerly.

"Er…so what happened?" I finally wheezed. "I remember making shadow clones and then the rest is a blur."

Strangely, everyone visible relaxed. Kurenai's smile was back and Asuma laughed

"You blew Akasuki to hell. It's nice to know that you did some good during your time in the wilderness, nice attack, Mai."

Even Kakashi looked somewhat proud for a moment.

There was sudden movement in the doorway of my room, though I couldn't see the person over Asuma's shoulders. The colour drained from Gai's face. Kakashi jumped up off the window sill like something had burned him.

"Oh thank god you're back! I was so worried when I heard that Akatsuki were involved…"

I looked between my friends in confusion. Who was that? What was going on?

A blonde woman finally appeared, walking straight to Kakashi and hugging him around his neck. Our eyes finally met, and the look he gave me filled me with dread. The woman detached herself from Kakashi quickly, sensing the mood and looked around.

Her hands lingered on Kakashi's chest, and I understood at once.

Kakashi cleared his throat and spoke wearily.

"Mai, this is Hana."

**I've had some fantastic reviews for this story – thank you so much for putting the time into giving me feedback, its great to know that you're enjoying the story…thought it puts me on edge – "Will they like this chapter? Will they hate me?"**

**Ah well, hope you enjoy : )**


	10. Chapter 10

I took my time climbing the stairs to my apartment. I had just checked out from the hospital; the incident with Kakashi and his Hana having happened only a few days ago. If the others had expected a reaction from me, they were sorely disappointed. I was civil, and I excused them all a few moments later.

Then I asked that I receive no more visitors.

Tsunade agreed to my discharge, though with her consent came a promise to make a home visit within a few days. I had left the hospital a little before midnight to avoid notice.

The hallway was dark, and smaller than what I remembered. I took the key the landlady had returned grudgingly, and unlocked the door before me. She wouldn't have to worry about making replacements; I would never lose another key again.

I knew before I stepped over the threshold that someone had been in my apartment fairly recently. The air was fresh, and the faintest hint of chemical cleaners hung around. I closed the door and dropped my things beside it. I didn't bother turning on the lights.

My home, like the hall, felt smaller and stifling. Perhaps it was because I was accustomed to being outdoors so often, that suddenly having four walls to call home was making me feel nervous. I quickly set all the locks on the door, before moving forwards carefully; inspecting my surroundings.

People had definitely been here, scrubbing away two and a half years worth of dust and decay. My bed had new sheets, and when I opened my drawers, I saw that everything was washed and folded away neatly. The fridge was fully stocked with healthy food, and there was a timetable stuck to the steel door detailing my upcoming doctors' appointments. Tsunade's unearned guilt had found an outlet.

What now?

The first pangs of anxiety tingled up my spine. The memories from the night I left this place rushed back to me; the fight, the escape…the try-outs. And suddenly I was back in that cavernous, dark room; listening to my fellow wannabe mercenaries stir in the shadows.

I swallowed hard and rushed at the light-switch. The bright flood brought little relief, but at least I could see.

My attention was drawn to the enormous window at the end of the room. I moved quickly to draw the thick curtains over it. I could hear my heartbeat in my ears; the hair on my arms stood to attention. I took some deep breaths and sat myself at the small kitchen table.

I stared down at my hands, trying to find focus through the numbing panic that was sweeping through me. The kitchen clock ticked noisily above me, grating at my nerves and putting rhythm to the question circling through my brain; _what now...what now...what now..._

* * *

"As many of you will have heard, Sumiko Mai returned to the village little under a week ago."

Hana was barely listening to the man addressing the room. She was busy watching Kakashi, who stood a few rows ahead of her with the other Jounin. His gaze was fixed on the man speaking, but his eyes had glazed over.

His friends stood on either side of him; they had not left his side since that girl came back.

"While the details of the mission will remain confidential, it is vital that you all understand that Sumiko has always worked as a Konoha Ninja, and acted for the village's best interests."

When she had heard that Kakashi had returned from his mission and was in the hospital, she had feared the worst. And then, when she had seen that woman lying in the hospital bed…

She wasn't naïve; she knew who it was before Kakashi's unenthusiastic introduction, and if she had known little of his previous relationships before; other Chunin had been eager to fill varied details of Kakashi and Sumiko Mai's history.

"_Kakashi and Mai? Who didn't know about them? They've been in love with each other forever."_

"_I heard he hunted Itachi for a whole year after they ran away together the first time"_

"_No he didn't, he stood in vigil for her every night until her return!"_

"_I thought they hated each other?"_

She hadn't known what to believe, but whatever the truth was, Kakashi was definitely struggling with her return.

"Therefore, when she eventually returns to active duty, she is to be treated as she was before. This is for your own safety on missions as well as hers. We cannot afford to have a breakdown in our ranks over ninja who may hold a grudge."

_Active Duty?_ Hana thought blandly, _The girl looked like she was on death row_.

Hana watched as Asuma muttered something under his breath to the men around him, causing some to nod solemnly. She wished she could join them, and try to learn a little about this woman. Kakashi hadn't talked about it, and he didn't seem eager to start.

As far as she knew, he hadn't been back to visit her

"Now, onto the main issue; we have received news that Uzumaki Naruto will be returning to the village…"

Kakashi became alert at the mention of this new person; his eyes narrowing as Ibiki continued. Hana, however, was only half listening.

Maybe he wasn't interested in Mai after all, she thought hopefully. He never seemed pleased to hear about her, in fact, he had really looked bored…

She smiled to herself, reaffirming her belief in her conclusion. She turned her thoughts back to the meeting at hand, and wandered to herself; _so who's this Naruto kid?_

* * *

Shizune knocked quietly on Sumiko's door, not that she expected an answer. She had been sent here by the Hokage after her charge failed to show up to her check-up at the hospital and her appointment with her assigned councillor.

"Mai? Are you in? It's me, Shizune."

Shizune knew Mai was in; the apartment was on round the clock observation on Tsunade's orders.

Stony silence met her introduction. She knocked harder and waited a few seconds before taking the duplicate key to the apartment and unlocking the door.

Darkness pressed itself on her eyes. She suppressed a sigh, this wasn't a good sign. It was a beautiful day today, and for all the curtains to be pulled at this hour…

"Mai?" She called softly, not wanting to startle the young woman lurking somewhere in the gloom.

She banged her shin into the corner of a table,

"_Shiiiiiiit"_ she hissed, rubbing the wound hard. She felt around for a light switch, but realised, upon discovery, that the power had been disconnected.

Shizune squinted around again, hoping to adjust her eyes. There had been windows along the front of the building, and once she remembered this, she stumbled blindly towards where she assumed it to be.

She flung open the curtains and rejoiced in the light.

One of the watchmen sat on the opposite roof started at the movement, but raised a hand in greeting when he saw who it was.

The long room had a look of total disuse. A thin film of dust lay on the surfaces, though that aside, all was kept immaculate.

Finally a noise; the slightest rustling came from the next room at the sudden appearance of light.

Shizune hurried to the door that stood ajar and pushed it open.

"Maia it's Shizune – are you okay? You've missed- _Thunk_," The wood hit the dresser, which had been pushed against the doorframe. This room was gloomy too; the skylight had somehow been covered with the covers from the bed.

Shizune squeezed through the small gap, and finally found her target. Her voice died in her throat.

Mai sat opposite the door, pressing herself against the wall. Her eyes were bloodshot, and dark circles hung below them. Her jaw was clenched tight, and she gripped a kunai in one pale, bony hand. There was a flicker of recognition in the ninja's eye; Shizune took it as a sign that she could approach safely.

She knelt in front of Mai and immediately took the weapon from her hand. Mai didn't resist, only watched Shizune listlessly. Blood trickled from her palm, and Shizune immediately made to heal the wound. Mai pulled away, and closed her fist. White light glowed through the gaps for a moment, before she held up her hand to show that the cut had disappeared.

"What are you doing? Why have you barricaded yourself in?"

No answer, just the blank stare.

Shizune reached into her bag and pulled out a scroll.

"Sorry Mai, but I'm going to have to get Tsunade."

She placed her hand over a seal, and a small black bird appeared and waited for its message.

Mai picked up the discarded Kunai and resumed to stare at her knees.

* * *

"Seriously, I wouldn't worry about it Hana."

"But you don't know what it's been like since she's been back." The blonde ninja said, looking gloomily down her wine glass.

Hana's friend, Sam, gave her a sympathetic look. Kakashi had disappeared earlier in the day, though not before promising to a night out at Hana's suggestion. She decided to catch up with one of her girlfriends for a drink before-hand, for some much needing venting.

They sat together at the bar of some restaurant – Sam had picked one of the most expensive ones in Konoha, with the reasoning that Kakashi could afford to treat his girlfriend after being such a miser over the last week.

"What happened, hun?" She said gently, pouring more wine into Hana's glass.

Hana sighed and ran her hand over her hair, checking that it had remained smooth and pulled back in her French twist. She wanted to look nice tonight; to try and make Kakashi forget about that sickly girl lying in the hospital.

"Nothing really…I mean, he hasn't done anything outright, but… He hasn't visited her, or spoken to her since she came back. But he thinks about her. I know he does. A lot."

"Have you talked to him about it?"

"….Hn."

Sam raised an eyebrow.

"Well!..." Hana gesticulated lamely for a moment.

"Well?"

"Maybe I am just being paranoid."

"There you go!" Sam grinned at her. "I mean, I think about Kakashi all the time, but that doesn't mean-,"

Hana pinched her friend, and looked at her mock-threateningly.

"I'm kidding!"

They both snickered into their drinks. Hana glanced at the clock, Kakashi was supposed to have been here by now, but then, he was always late.

Sam giggled again.

"You obviously haven't heard the latest then – she's back in hospital. Psyche ward."

Hana looked at her friend wide eyed. She _hadn't _heard that; but surely Kakashi would have! Sam recognised the interest and surprise on Hana's face, and turned excitedly towards her.

"I was talking to one of the girls, who has a friend at the hospital, and she said the Sumiko was committed a few days ago after they found her in her apartment thinking she was in a war zone. She was talking to herself, thought she was back with the Akatsuki – she attacked an orderly the other day. Bit him, apparently."

"Really?"

Sam nodded smugly.

"She's got PTSD or something. The Hokage has taken over her care personally."

"But what does it all mean?"

Sam paused before she took a sip from her glass, still smiling.

"Hana, the bitch is crazy."

Sudden movement in Hana's peripherals caused her to turn.

Kakashi stared back, and by the look on his face, he'd heard it all. Sam spun around, and turned red. Hana opened her mouth to say something, anything to make this better.

He shook his head slightly, before silently walking away.

* * *

The sudden thudding on her office door caused Tsunade to jump. The surprised on her wan face was quickly replaced with annoyance. Who was behaving so disrespectfully…Her tired brain briefly wondered if it was Naruto; they were expecting his and Jiraya's return any day now. The violent knocking came again, and Tsunade grimaced. Naruto wouldn't bother to knock.

"What?" She barked, looking back down at the paperwork from the hospital.

The door opened abruptly, though the intruder caught it before it bounced off the wall.

"Kakashi. Come in." Tsunade said some what tersely, shuffling her papers before putting them away.

Hatake Kakashi was white behind his mask, and while his face was arranged in a heroic attempt at neutral, Tsunade could see the muscle twitching in his jaw.

"So that's why no one has seen her? Because she's in the Psyche unit?" He said quietly.

Tsunade leaned back in her chair and smiled at him thinly.

"Did you expect me to ring you? Sumiko has the right to privacy, just like every other patient."

"Then why has it spread around the village that she's raving?" Kakashi positively bit out.

Tsunade scowled. So much for that great idea; she had been trying to protect the girl's integrity. She wasn't the first to return from an undercover mission a changed person. But Tsunade had also wanted to prevent the Konoha Ninja for having another reason to distrust her. Tsunade sighed and rubbed her forehead.

"I tried Hatake. I did; but I can't stop everyone from talking."

Kakashi stared at her.

"Will she be okay?" the words seemed to pain him.

"She's not crazy; but she has lived in desperate, life threatening circumstances for the last two and a half years. And now she comes back to Konoha, she stops running, stops fighting and returns to normal, every day life. She had to do terrible things with the mercenaries, but she never had time to process it. But now…It's all catching up to her.

"She'll be fine. I'm keeping an eye on her progress, the problem was largely due to insomnia, but she'll be out in a few days."

Some of the tension in the man's shoulders left, though Kakashi still did not sit down. He nodded vaguely, as though her reassurances bored him. They were silent for a while, and Tsunade's own mind began to wander. After all that she and Mai had done, was it possible that Kakashi could still-,

"When can I see her?" Kakashi asked bluntly.

"Not until I discharge her, I don't think she would respond well to seeing you at the moment."

Kakashi seemed to think this was reasonable, he nodded, hesitated before turning to leave. Inspiration hit Tsunade as she watched his retreating back. She was somewhat responsible for this situation, she may as well attempt tp help Mai.

"Oh and Kakashi, when you visit her, maybe leave your girlfriend at home this time."

Kakashi didn't break his stride. He waved lazily and shut the door behind him.

* * *

Hana had spent the last hour pacing around her apartment, wringing her hands. She had been fretting even longer. Hana had chased after Kakashi It wasn't like _she _had sad anything incriminating – it had been Sam. And now he had disappeared again, he wasn't answering his phone and his friends didn't know where he was either.

She glanced at the clock again; it was now half past one in the morning.

She stopped pacing and started dialling again, only to be interrupted by the doorbell. She rushed at the door and threw it open. Kakashi stood patiently, his mask pulled down around his neck. Hana eyed him carefully before gently wrapping her arms around his waist. He didn't return the embraced, but kissing her quickly on the forehead before moving inside.

Not good.

Hana held her breath while she shut the door and followed him inside. She found him leaning against the kitchen bench waiting. She licked her lips hesitantly, and then decided that it would be better to get this over with.

"Look, I didn't say any of that. I mean, I was only interested because you refuse to talk about her, but I don't think the situation is funny – I don't! We'd just been joking, and we'd been drinking-,"

"- Hana-,"

"And to Sam's credit, she was the one that said I didn't need to worry, about you and I that is. Please don't be angry, it was such a stupid thing-,"

"_Hana_,' Kakashi said patiently, 'Stop."

Hana obeyed immediately. Kakashi crossed his arms and searched for the right words.

"I'm not angry- not with you anyway. But things have changed again…"

Hana felt her stomach dissolve.

"I-I don't have to be worried…do I?"

The look on Kakashi's face said it all. Disbelief crashed around her – he couldn't be serious…

"B-but, after everything she's done…What she's caused – I mean, look at the state of you!"

He rubbed the back of his neck tiredly. He hated himself for what he was about to do, and dreaded it even more so. Kakashi forced himself to look her in the eye, and instantly read the plea written on her face. She wouldn't understand why he had to do this, and would probably consider him pathetic for doing so. Maybe she was right, but he wasn't about to drag her into this mess to protect his pride. It was the right thing, and Hana would be alright in time. His next words caused her face to fall.

"We need to talk."

* * *

An hour later Kakashi stepped out onto the dark, deserted Konoha street a relieved man. His breath froze in front of him, and his tired feet left sodden footprints in the icy road; though he didn't feel the cold. For too long he'd felt adrift, barely going through the motions of day to day life. And now finally, after so long a time spent wandering, he felt his sense of purpose and direction return to him.

He was sorry to hurt Hana; but it would have been far worse to string her along after him while he sorted out his life.

Mai's return to the village had left him in turmoil; he was furious over what had happened, for both his and her actions over the last two years. And yet he could not force her from his mind; their kiss after the ceremony was burned like a brand in his memory.

Then hearing that woman at the restaurant, and his immediate reaction…

There was no point in fighting it any longer. Now that he had left Hana, he was free to pursue the necessary course of action. He had decisions to make, and regardless of whether there was place for he and Mai in his future there was no denying that they were far from finished.


	11. Chapter 11

Tsunade marched down the sterile halls of her hospital, an orderly scurrying along in her wake, jabbering about several patients and juggling their charts. She was barely listening; she already knew the charts by heart, and anything that needed urgent attention could be handled by Shizune until she was free.

It was the middle of the night, the only time she'd had in the last few days to pry herself away from her desk and the ever growing paper work that occupied it. This personal visit was too important to put off.

Moonlight streamed through the windows; the shadows of wind swept trees thrashed wildly along the pale walls. The nights were often cold and clear now; winter would soon be upon them.

Tsunade's heels clicked on the white marble floor, the noise bouncing off the walls and echoing down the corridor.

"You got Sumiko's file on you?" She snapped. She sensed the orderly jump in fright, and fumble around frantically to conjure the folder.

Tsunade stifled an irritated sigh, before snatching the papers from the young woman. She peered into many windows that lined the corridor; simultaneously checking that the patients were resting and looking for Sumiko Mai.

She glanced down at the file, checking her patient's progress over the last few days. Mai had put up a fight when Tsunade's nurses tried to commit her (she tried to bite a nurse and then kicked a hole in the corridor wall), but they had managed to restrain and sedate her before she did too much damage.

The lack of sleep over the time of her return caused Sumiko's mental state to deteriorate and finally trigger the PTSD.

But now, after three days of isolation _and _rest, Tsunade was eager to speak with the girl, and get her back out into the village. She wouldn't be her usual self; that would take time, but she would be functioning better.

Tsunade glanced at the graph summarising Mai's health stats; it was not as improved as the Hokage would have preferred, but it would suffice. The girl would manage with routine check-ups.

"It's just the second room on the right here, Milady." The orderly piped up from behind Tsunade.

"Thank you Rei. You may go." Tsunade said listlessly, not bothering to raise her eyes from the chart.

"Yes, Milady." The orderly murmured before hurrying past.

Tsunade pushed open the door the woman had indicated and stepped into the darkened room. Her eyes took a moment to adjust from the dully lit hall, but when they did, she found that her patient was not resting.

Mai sat upright and cross-legged in the middle of her bed, her pale eyes shining out from the darkness. Her chakras were calm and muted; her very presence was still and silent.

Tsunade raised her eyebrows; the girl was far more together than the last time she saw her.

"Sumiko Mai, you've been here for three days now; how are you feeling?" Tsunade said quietly. The girl didn't move, Tsunade couldn't even hear her breathing. She wondered momentarily whether Mai was actually awake, when she finally answered:

"Sane."

"Hn." Tsunade smiled thinly into the darkness. "I'm pleased with you're progress. You're not quite where I want you health-wise…Do you think you are ready to go home?" She continued conversationally.

"That's not my call," came the hoarse reply.

Tsunade's smile faded into a sigh as she closed the folder. She was sure that the best way for Mai to heal was to resume her place amongst the public. Her friends throughout the ninja ranks were waiting to help. Normal life would help her more than being locked up in a hospital would.

Tsunade chose to ignore Mai's last comment.

"I'd prefer for you to return home. I will send people round regularly to check on you; but I don't think staying here is best for you."

Mai stared at her for a moment before she uncrossed her legs and stood up off the bed.

"I can go?"

"We still need to discuss the details of your time with the mercenaries, but that can wait until tomorrow. I will send Shizune in the afternoon."

"Fine."

The girl was aching to leave this room; Tsunade understood her eagerness. It was a good sign that she no longer wanted to be isolated and hidden away. The Hokage pulled a piece of paper out from Maia's file, signed it and handed it over.

"Here are your discharge papers. You are free to leave."

Mai eyed her warily, as though she expected the Hokage to take back the offer. She reached out cautiously and took the slip from the woman's out-stretched hand.

"'K."

She side-stepped the Hokage swiftly, paused in the doorway momentarily before hurrying away through the corridors.

* * *

"Mai turns at the sound of her name; the voice thick with sorrowful yearning. The moonlight makes her features glow; the tracks of her tears glisten. The wind blows around her, she sways slightly – will she fall over the edge?'

"And then she sees him, racing up the cliff side towards her to stop her fatal leap into the dark ravine. Finally she sees him, and her face is awash with happiness. They run to each other, arms outstretched –,"

"That…is just the stupidest thing…" Raidou yawned. The other Shinobi snickered; their comrade had only voiced what everyone had been thinking.

Gai glared at Raidou, furious at having his happy ending interrupted.

"Hey - why does Mai have to be suicidal in this scenario?" Asuma asked, drawing on his cigarette.

"For drama! For atmosphere! For Romance!" Gai spluttered, gesticulating as though this were obvious.

Gai quickly saw that his comrades had missed his point completely, and settled instead for glaring sulkily at the table.

It was raining today, all but hardcore and the slightly insane were forced indoors to train. The small group happened to be training in the same dojo, and had converged in the staffrooms above the area. Naturally, conversation quickly turned to towards Konoha's most current and scandalous of events.

Kotetsu, Radiou's usual counterpart, rubbed his eyes tiredly, before finally joining the discussion.

"Hey, so that Hana chick is single now right? You guys reckon I have a shot?"

Asuma exhaled slowly.

"Nope."

Gai jumped, as though Kotetsu had reminded him of some important fact.

"Yeah, I thought once they split, he'd be back with Mai. I don't get the hold up."

"You serious? You do understand the whole _situation_ don't you?" Asuma asked; his eyebrows raised in genuine surprise.

"Of course. She loves him. He loves her. Where is the problem in that?"

The other Nin exchanged exasperated glances, unsure as to whether Gai being especially dense, or angling to make a point.

Asuma seemed determined not to entertain Gai's thought patterns at this time, and so Raidou made a hesitant attempt at an explanation.

"Right so, picture this : That Lee kid and the other two you train decide one day that they want a new teacher and so they leave you-,"

"-Irrelevant. That would never happen." Gai said flatly.

"Not only that,' Raidou continued over Gai's interruption, 'but they tell you that you are a terrible sensei, and they would much rather be trained by your rival; Hatake Kakashi. So off they all go, leaving you without so much as a backwards glance to train with Kakashi. You don't understand what caused the sudden change of heart, and they refuse to talk to you.

"Then out the blue, over two years later, they show up on your door step saying that they were just joking about you being a terrible teacher, and ask that you resume training them. Would you take them back?"

The attention turned swiftly back to guy, Asuma and Kotetsu appearing to approve of Raidou's hasty summation.

"Yes." Gai nodded firmly.

Asuma groaned slightly.

"E-even after all they put you through? The needless pain they caused?" Raidou spluttered.

"Yep."

Gai's face was serious and set. Asuma considered his friend for a long moment, before putting him cigarette out and turned towards him.

"Why's that, Gai?"

"Because we are soon to be at war. There isn't time for second guessing or anger towards your allies. I believe in making the most of the present; and this is the second time Kakashi had almost lost her.

"If I were him,' Gai summerised impressively, crossing his arms over his chest, 'I wouldn't be wasting any time."

The others exchanged glances before Kotetsu heaved a sigh.

"Why must he always be right during the worst of times?"

* * *

Kakashi gingerly shrugged out of his vest; the muscles in his back groaning tiredly as he did so. The gates into Konoha were just a few yards ahead, and he wanted nothing more than to go home and crawl into bed. It wasn't too late in the afternoon, but the sky was already darkening. The temperature had dropped the closer he came to the village, though he was still warm from the trek.

The mission the Hokage had sent him on had been tedious, and lasted two days longer than expected.

He had been instructed to move the Western boundary to oversee and help with the new security measures undertaken by border control. It was a mission that could have been easily taken care of by a high level Chunin, and initially Kakashi had been confused.

Then Tsunade told him that she had discharged Maia from the hospital the night before, and that she didn't need him putting her "back into a tail spin" the moment she was out. Kakashi had replied that Tsunade gave him too much credit for Mai's mental state, but the woman would not be swayed.

The closer he had gotten to the border, the more the rumours about Akasuki intensified. Stories that the organisation had gone further into hiding since the 'Sumiko Desertion', but were on the move towards Konoha for vengeance.

There had been more that one stress induced breakdown from the younger Shinobi, for whom this was the first war they would see. Older ninja were silent, grim-faced and entirely focused on the job at hand.

He stifled a yawn and shoved his hands in his pockets; the vest laying over one of his arms. He passed beneath through the gates, and gave a tired wave to the guards. Raidou and Kotetsu were on again today; they nodded quickly, exchanged nervous glances with each other before setting about looking too busy to talk.

He shrugged off the odd behaviour, and instead considered the best way to get back to his apartment. It would be busy on the main street today, but it was the most direct route from here. He could take one of the back streets, though it took twice and long…And he was too tired to bother with the roof-tops.

His shoulders gave another painful twinge. There was nothing for it; he turned into the bustling shopping district and navigated quickly through the throng of civilians lining the street. He ignored the street vendors trying to grab his attention and chose instead to grab his book and pretend to read.

Kakashi didn't know what it was that made him turn around, but despite the bustle of the people in the busy Konoha street, his eyes immediately fell on her small frame. Mai shuffled between the civilians; her arms weighed down with shopping bags.

She walked through the street with her head down and shoulders up.

Her half hearted efforts at going unnoticed were unsuccessful. A few people looked up at her passing, and the recognition was evident on their faces.

Kakashi saw a man detach himself from the group he was with; his friends stopped their conversation to watch his journey. Kakashi recognised him as a low level Jonin, though did not recall his name. The man's eyes were narrowed on Mai's back.

She hadn't felt him coming at her – or if she had, she made no effort to avoid him.

The man suddenly reached out and grabbed her arm, yanking her back and causing one of her shopping bags to tear open.

Kakashi started making his was quickly towards them. The man was hissing something in her ear.

Mai stared vacantly at the strewn items on the ground. She made no move to shake off her aggressor or to pick up her shopping.

Then something he said must have struck a nerve, as finally, for the first time she raised her head and looked him straight in the eye.

Kakashi's heart sunk when he saw the expression on her face; it drew even him to a stand still. It was the cold, calculating glare of a ninja considering a kill. The man let go of her arm as though he had been burned, and took several steps back. His face had turned white when he felt the barely contained fury behind those light eyes.

And then her face cleared back to neutrality, and she turned her back on the Ninja.

Mai finally seemed to realise that her shopping was spilled on the ground, and began collecting it up.

One of the aggressors less observant friends saw this as a defenceless stance and decided to intervene. He was at her side in an instant; reaching for her shoulder -,

"I think that's enough, don't you?" Kakashi's tone was light, but his grip on the new antagonist's wrist was of iron.

There was a crowd of civilians looking on now, though Mai hadn't looked up from her task.

There was the faintest gleam of defiance in the Ninja's eyes as he looked from Kakashi to the girl kneeling in the middle of the street.

Kakashi's grip tightened, causing the young man's jaw to clench.

"Don't" Kakashi muttered, before pushing the Ninja backwards, just hard enough to cause him to stumble.

Maia had straightened by now, glanced quickly at Kakashi before she resumed walking down the street. The onlookers parted silently as she neared, and Kakashi fell into step beside her.

She didn't acknowledge him for the first block; until there was some distance between them and the scene they had unwittingly caused.

"I don't need you to help me." She finally muttered, eyes fixed straight ahead.

Kakashi raised his eyebrows.

"Apparently I do."

Mai's face was impassive, and she showed no signs of replying.

Kakashi remained silent, considering the best way to talk to her without causing any more damage. She seemed content in ignoring him, and a part of him knew he should leave her alone. The Hokage would certainly prefer it.

"You know,' Kakashi attempted again, 'you don't need to let people treat you that way. You were doing what you thought was in the village's best interests-,"

"What _I_ thought? You disagree?" She interrupted. Her tone was calm; she wasn't challenging him or angered by him.

It was Kakashi's turn to be silent.

They rounded another corner, and he realised that they had reached her street all too soon. Her pace quickened as they approached her building, though to his surprise, she paused at the doors.

She didn't look at him when she finally spoke again; she hadn't looked at him for the entire journey.

"I killed that mans uncle. I was sent on a mission in the Land of Waves, and his uncle was one of my targets. He is allowed to be angry. But what's done is done, there is no going back. I accept that anger." She paused, and shrugged.

"Have to."

She gave him a barest of glances, before she disappeared through the doors and into the gloom.

* * *

"I missed this place! It hasn't changed a bit!"

The youthful shout shook Kakashi from his day dream on the roof. He looked around lazily for the source of the commotion; it didn't take him long to find it.

A blonde boy stood on the roof top opposite, jabbering away excitedly to himself.

He had certainly grown up in the last two years…Kakashi hoped that the boy's skills as a ninja had improved just as much.

"Ha-ha, they even added Granny Hokage's ugly old face to the mountain!" The boy laughed, continuing his conversation with himself.

_So, the real game begins, _Kakashi couldn't help but think. Naruto's return signalled the beginning of the war they'd all spent the last two years preparing for.

"You've grown up a lot, Naruto." Kakashi called from his seat. Naruto looked about frantically, before he spotted his old teacher.

"Yo." Kakashi waved lazily.

The kids face lit up as he jumped the short distance between them.

"Kakashi-sensei! You haven't changed at all!"

Kakashi was thankful for the mask disguising his expression. Naruto looked different, but he was as unperceptive as ever. But then, of course he had no idea what had been going on back home, or of the sacrifices that had been made.

He wondered if he even remembered who Mai was.

Naruto was still talking, and now he held something out to Kakashi – a book…

He looked down at the gift blankly.

"It's the latest in the Icha-Icha series in three years! It's really boring, but you'll probably like it."

Naruto was staring at him expectedly. Kakashi snapped out of his reverie, and quickly started making the right noises. He hadn't read the series in a long time – there had been too many other things going on…

"Well – you can read it later. I'm starved, c'mon, the pervy-sage is waiting."

* * *

"I'll leave Naruto back into your care, as promised."

"Hn."

Kakashi and the Sanin walked side by side through the dining district, following Naruto towards some ramen store. They were certainly turning a few heads as they went. Jiraiya was making the most of the attention, winking and smiling a lucky few.

"…Akatsuki are becoming impatient. It's been two years, and I think they may make an attempt on Naruto soon. I'm going to head around and gather as much information as I can..." Jiraiya let his sentence hang in the air.

"I don't know anything Jiraiya. I'm not even sure Tsunade has begun interviewing her yet." Kakashi replied.

"Oh?" The older ninja raised an eyebrow. "I'd have thought that Tsunade would have been onto her immediately."

"There have been…complications." He replied shortly.

Jiraiya had a knowing look on his face, though he was wise enough not to delve into that particular subject further.

"Anyway. I'm sure that you're eager to see how Naruto's improved since you last saw him. I imagine that Tsunade will expect you to test Haruno Sakura too. I don't need to remind you of the state of our world at the moment."

"I'd say I have a fair idea." Kakashi replied dryly.

Jiraiya's face hatched into a grin.

"Then get that team up and running. You sound like you need a distraction. I leave them with you."

* * *

Tsunade surveyed the team over her crossed fingers. Naruto and Sakura had passed Kakashi's bell test to his satisfaction, and now it was time to send the three of them to work. Sakura stood to attention as she listened to Iruka explain the assigned mission. Kakashi had his usual air of detached boredom, and Naruto's expression had changed from excitement to annoyance the more Iruka explained.

"Naruto; we wouldn't usually send a Genin on a B class mission, but considering the ranks of your teammates and your training with the Sanin, Jiraiya, we think you can handle it."

Iruka brandished the form at the team.

Sakura and Kakashi seemed compliant; but Naruto's face turned thunderous at the word 'Genin'.

"No" Naruto pouted.

Sakura looked set to have a fit; Kakashi sighed and shut his eyes. Tsunade returned the blonde's glare. She had a headache, and she wasn't in the mood to argue. She'd only just managed to rid her self of Jiraiya's pestering before this meeting started – her old team mate wanted her to work Sumiko harder for more details if her mission.

_He _was not the Chief of the Konoha Hospital. _He _didn't have to assign watchers to the troubled patient. _He _hadn't seen what toll the ordeal with the Akatsuki had taken on the young woman he so flippantly demanded retell the horror she'd seen.

"What do you mean '_no'," _Iruka hissed at his former pupil, drawing Tsunade back to the situation at hand. The other mission admin around the table shifted slightly in their seats. They knew the mood Tsunade had arrived in; something like this would surely make her explode.

"Not THAT mission! No way!" Naruto huffed.

"What's wrong with it?" Tsunade practically growled.

The colour drained from Sakura's face and she leapt at Naruto, forcing him in a headlock and covering his mouth simultaneously.

"S-Sorry Milady! I'll sort him out!"

Kakashi ignored his new teammates and came forward to retrieve the mission details. Iruka cast a side-long look at Tsunade and muttered: "Apparently nothing but his appearance has matured."

Tsunade nodded abruptly. She was going to strangle that idiot Toad-Sage next time he crossed her path; at the moment it seemed that in two and a half years, Jiraiya had only produced a younger clone.

"The third – was more – sensible…" Naruto managed to wheeze. Sakura punched him in the ribs, still apologising profusely for his insolence.

"What'd you say?"

Tsunade's head throbbed again; this kid was already getting on her last nerve.

"Fifth!"

The doors flew open and slammed against the walls. One of Tsunade's assistants hurried over the threshold gripping a piece of paper.

"It's – It's bad!-,"

"-why are you being so loud-," Tsunade scowled.

"It's the Sand! Their Kazekage has been taken hostage by an organisation called Akatsuki! We just got a message!"

Tsunade's stomach clenched. She swallowed the panic she felt at the girls words, and settled her face into an expression of grave concentration. Sakura and Naruto were staring at the messenger, stricken.

Kakashi turned slowly to look at Tsunade, his dark eye was cold and calculating. Without a word being exchanged, Tsunade knew he wanted this mission. Her mind whirred – sending Kakashi to face the Akatsuki, the chances of his personal feelings getting in the way of completing the mission…And sending Naruto – she'd be as good as handing the boy to the enemy.

But then, those two had something to prove. Kakashi facing the Akatsuki could give the man the closure he wanted. And Naruto had been friends with the Kazekage years ago. Sending those with a personal stake in a mission had made successful returns in the past. But sending Naruto to the Akatsuki…

There was no harm in having them collect information at the Sand Village first. It would give her time to think, and she could send another team to back them up if the situation required it.

These three were some of the best Konoha could offer, and she had to make a decision.

Tsunade took the old mission's details back from Kakashi.

Sakura stopped strangling her teammate and watched Tsunade apprehensively. Naruto moved away quickly and stood up straight, his face serious. Kakashi was unreadable.

"New Mission,' she barked, 'You three are to travel to the Sand, find out the situation and rely the information immediately back to Konoha. After that, follow the orders of the Sand and back them up. Do not go leave the village unless I give the order, or the Sand require it of you. Now go."

**Hello All, **

**It has been a while. It's been a real struggle trying to get this story to go in the right direction, which is why this chapter is lacking in action. I just need to set things up so I can go forward have the things I plan to happen to work. To do this, I need to go back to the storyline in the manga, though I don't want to re-write everything that has already been done by Kishimoto, so I'm sort of assuming you guys are up to date with that (I couldn't bear to write about the second bell test –chapter 245 onwards of Shippuden if you were curious), which is why this –and the next- chapter may jump around a bit.**

**Anyway, that's my excuse, you have all been wonderful : )**

**Thanks for reading.**


	12. Chapter 12

The barrier for the Sand Village was finally in sight. The journey to the Sand had taken little over three days – and while his team had made incredibly good time, Kakashi knew that the wait would have been agonising for the Sand Nin who had called them.

Naruto, Sakura and he had barely set off from Konoha when they ran into Temari, Gaara's sister. She had quickly joined their ranks after they filled her in on the situation. Kakashi was mildly surprised when Naruto seemed more agitated by Gaara's kidnapping than his own sister, but then perhaps Naruto could empathise better than anyone else.

Talk had then naturally turned to the Akatsuki state of affairs, and the fact that they were collecting all Jinchuuriki.

"_Me and Gaara,' Naruto said through gritted teeth, 'we are the same. We both contain monsters, and that's what they are after."_

"_I can't stand it – they just see us as weapons."_

_Kakashi remained silent. If Temari and Sakura hadn't known about the Kyuubi before now, it was too late to stop Naruto. _

_Both girls looked entirely unfazed by the revelation, however, and Kakashi sighed quietly. _

"_We're both targets of the Akatsuki for that reason -,"_

_Kakashi felt Sakura's quick glance in his direction. Of course, she had been in the village during the two years Mai had left, she had probably witnessed most of the goings on, heard the rumours, seen Tsunade's notes on the situation…_

_Not that simply hearing the name 'Akatsuki' would send Kakashi over the edge; if that were the case, he would have been locked away long ago._

_He ignored the look, and chose to tune Naruto out for the rest of the journey. He understood the boy's resentment – he felt the same way. But for now, Kakashi was the leader for the team, and he had to remain impassive._

_Kakashi silenced the thoughts that Naruto had stirred up, and set to focusing on their common goal._

Now as they raced towards the gates, Kakashi noticed that the younger Nin were panting slightly. He knew that they weren't worn out, but the agitation had taken some toll; he would have to teach Naruto to reign in his feelings in the future.

A woman rushed out from the barrier when they drew close enough. She had the look of one who had barely slept in the last few days, and was trembling slightly with fatigue. Her dark-ringed eyes scanned the group quickly.

"Temari was with you? We've been waiting – please, this way-,"

She rushed away before fully finishing her sentence.

The group hurried to catch up with her. The woman was rattling off details of the attack.

"The Kazekage was abducted, this is true – but there were two of them. Two men from the Akatsuki, and one got Kankurou. He chased after them and was badly wounded-,"

"What?" Temari cried.

The Kunoichi jumped slightly.

"Yes – he pursued the kidnappers, but was caught with the enemies poison. We have no idea how to neutralise it, or even what it is. He has half a day at this rate…"

Sakura took charge instantly.

"Take us to him, there may be something I can do."

* * *

Anko squinted at the window from her hiding place on the opposite roof. The crazy girl had been standing in front of it for the last five minutes, stock-still. Though Anko was too far away to see the girl's eyes, she felt certain that her gaze was locked on her hiding place.

Today was Anko's turn at the rooftop post as part of the Sumiko Guard. Tsunade had figured that attack on Sumiko Maia was highly probable, and so had a rotating roster of ninja between missions tailing and reporting on Sumiko's every move. Privately, most of the guard suspected that Tsunade was also anticipating a bigger mental breakdown from the girl, and the last thing the village needed at this point was a crazed, regenerative, parrot spirit rampage.

While Tsunade's intentions had been good, and the group had been kept secret from the Kunoichi, Sumiko always managed to evade her guards when she left her apartment, and disappear for hours on end. The Guard would be in total panic, and sweep through the village searching for her, only for someone to report several hours later that the target had inexplicably reappeared back in her home.

Anko, however, had decided that she would be an exception to the rule, and keep to the young ninja like white on rice.

The sun was beating down on her, but she did not dare to remove her coat. The slightest movement would give her away at this moment – Mai still hadn't moved. Beads of sweat had gathered at her brow, and the heat radiated up from the tiles of the roof she squatted on. One of her legs had gone to sleep.

She glared at the apartment, wishing that Mai would get distracted, that the phone would ring, or a neighbour would knock at her door. Just enough time for Anko to get comfortable again.

_I wonder. Can she actually see me? Is she trying to psyche someone out and force him or her to move? Or is she bluffing, and pretending that she knows someone is out here?_

Another voice in Anko's head piped up: _Maybe she's just looking out the window._

However, as more time crawled by, Anko suspicions were more or less confirmed when the girl continued to stare. The sun eventually rose high enough into the sky to reflect brightly off the window, temporarily blinding Anko. She couldn't see a thing, and once again fought herself as to whether she should chance moving for a better view, or stay where she was.

Sweat dripped down her nose.

Her tongue felt like sandpaper in her parched mouth.

Her dehydrated brain throbbed, her eyes watered from the glare -,

_I hate you Sumiko_ she thought bitterly. The statement cheered her up marginally.

_IhateyouIhateyouIhatey-,_

A rare cloud floated in front of the sun; and for a moment Anko was spared from its relentless agitation. She closed her eyes, giving her retinas a break. She took a deep breath and refrained from repeating her hateful mantra.

_I'm okay, I'm fine, my shift will be done in a few hours, this isn't Sumiko's fault, it's fine-,_

She opened her eyes and realised that the light reflection had disappeared from the now open window.

So had Mai.

"Shit!" Anko howled.

She jumped to her feet and immediately spotted the lone figure dashing barefoot over the rooftops. She ripped her coat from her body and threw it behind her before chasing the shrinking figure. She leapt from her hiding place to the roof of the apartment block and from there followed Mai's path.

Anko rose up onto the balls of her feet as she ran, pumping her arms furiously as she streamlined herself the best she could. Roof tiles smashed to splinters beneath her feet as she surged chakra to them, forced herself to go faster.

Mai never once looked back, flitting easily along the Konoha skyline in her light clothes. Anko cursed her weighted training gear and thick tights. It was too hot for this shit; she could almost swear her boots were beginning to melt from the roof tiles. She looked again at Maia's bare feet; she must be in agony…

_No, she's just a crazy person. One crazy person. Get your shit together Anko!_

She sped up again, closing the distance between her and her quarry. Smashed tiles slid into the street, all resulting from Anko's heavy steps.

Mai veered suddenly away from the shopping district, towards Outer Konoha, towards the forests.

Anko found herself beginning to weave signs, before remembering that this was purely an observational mission, she was not supposed to catch Mai. Only try to keep up.

"Shit" She breathed. She couldn't believe she was doing this – she was meant to be a part of a secret group, and yet here she was, chasing the very person who shouldn't know about her task in broad daylight. What happened if the lunatic turned around suddenly and asked Anko what the hell she thought she was doing?  
What happened to stealth? To concealment? To -,

The tile beneath her foot gave way as she tried to jump to the next roof.

Next thing she was falling through the air.

Anko landed awkwardly, but managed not to hurt herself. She left the alleyway, determined not to climb back onto the roofs, but rather continue her pursuit from the street.

However this proved to be unnecessary, for as she rounded the corner, Mai came back into view. She was still standing of the rooftops, but had stopped running. She had turned around, and was looking about, confused. Anko moved swiftly out of sight; _so Mai _had_ known she was being followed._

After a few minutes pause, the girl seemed to decide that the threat had passed and jumped down onto the street. She didn't wince at the landing, but checked both feet. Anko saw that they were red and shiny; they would hurt tonight.

Mai weaved signs leisurely - something that Anko recognised as being Earth based.

The ground suddenly seemed to swallow Sumiko up, and Anko realised that she was watching the head-hunter jutsu in action. She wondered if this jutsu was intended for herself, as a consequence of following Sumiko so far.

She focused her chakras into her palm and pressed it into the ground, searching for the girl's chakra signal.

Instead she found several, all moving in different directions; shadow clones no doubt. Anko sighed, impressed. Even if she knew Earth element jutsu, she would never find the real body in time. It was time to admit defeat. Sumiko would probably head back home now anyway, Anko may as well head back too.

She walked back to Central Konoha slowly, shaking her head. _What was the point of all that?_ She wondered. If Akatsuki had taught Sumiko anything, it was how to be cautious.

* * *

Perhaps it was the exhaustion of the chase, or the intensity of the heat that caused Anko to miss it. She had been so easily distracted by the shadow clone on the road. Had the Jounin not so underestimated the woman she was assigned to, she may have noticed that the real body, the real Sumiko Mai, watching from the shadows.

* * *

The team once again rushed through dense forest, following the path Kakashi had directed. Naruto was more agitated than ever, but the rest of the team were silent. Kakashi was quickly crunching numbers in his head, trying to work out just how long they had to prevent the total extraction of Gaara's Jinchuuriki. He had been one of many witnesses when the Kyuubi had been sealed away; it had been a difficult and strenuous process. He could only hope that an extraction was equally time-consuming.

They had only stayed long enough at the Village to ensure Kankurou's recovery. And it was good thing they had; the young Sand Nin had managed to snag a piece of an Akatsuki robe. It was just enough for Kakashi to use to track the enemy to their final destination.

That had not been the only thing they collected during their brief time at the Sand. One of the Sand Councillors, Lady Chiyo, had ambushed them at the gate.

Kakashi glanced at her, though the woman glared straight ahead.  
Though the Sand and the Leaf were allies now, older ninja for whom the repercussions of war were still felt, had a harder time accepting this. The woman had every right to be resentful towards Konoha, and now she had joined a team that was pursuing her grandson. It could easily be a ploy to reunite with her family and then turn on Kakashi's team; he had initially been hesitant to let her join them.

However, she was the most knowledgeable when it came to Sasori's techniques, and Gaara's people seemed to trust her…

Kakashi resolved to leave her be for the time being, but if there was any indication of treachery on her behalf…

"Everyone, stop!"

Kakashi dug his heels into the ground, the others staggering to a sudden stand still. Sakura and Naruto looked at him in bewilderment; they had not yet felt his presence. Kakashi cursed under his breath; of course they would send _him_. No one else had the same chance of distracting him.

He stood in the shade of a small clearing; his Sharingan glowing in the gloom. The others had noticed him now; Naruto's sharp in take of breath was audible.

"Who..?" Sakura started, before Naruto cut her off.

"Uchiha Itachi" Naruto snarled.

Itachi didn't acknowledge the others; his gaze remained on Kakashi alone. He looked different than he had at the Altar Grounds; he had the same unhealthy pallor as Mai and the circles under his eyes were darker than ever. Though Itachi's usual cool expression was in place, Kakashi detected something else stirring just beneath the surface.

Resentment?

"The same child who killed his entire family?" Chiyo enquired. She sounded more curious than concerned.

Itachi ignored the reactions to his presence, though his eyes shifted towards Naruto.

"It had been a while, Kakashi..Naruto…"

Kakashi's breath remained even, and while his instincts were on high alert, he retained his cool. After all, he had trained for two years for this meeting; why should he be jolted when the expected happened?

"You bastard!" Naruto suddenly shouted, "Not just me, but now Gaara too?"

But Itachi had already begun to move. Kakashi recognised what was going to happen; they couldn't afford to lose anyone to Itachi's dimension this early in the piece…

"Don't look him in the eye" Kakashi barked. The others made noises of surprise, but lowered their heads obediently.

"Now what?" Sakura muttered, unable to keep the waver out of her voice.

A memory of Mai sudden flashed to the forefront of his mind – the first time she had landed a hit on him after he gained the Sharingan. He had puzzled over how she had managed such a thing, before realising one of the weaknesses of the eye.

"Read his body language. His Genjutsu is a visual form, avoid eye contact and you'll be fine."

The team quickly obeyed, and Chiyo started rattling off ways to escape a Genjutsu. Kakashi only half listened; he kept his focus on Itachi. Was it just him, or did something seem slightly amiss?

There was a physical difference, that much was obvious, but there was something else…

"And if one person is caught, their teammates can break the jutsu by disturbing their flow of chakra or attacking the user-,"

"No,' Kakashi intervened sharply, 'this is no average Genjutsu user. His is instantaneous, and some are impossible to escape. Do not take him lightly."

Chiyo huffed behind him.

Itachi's face remained motionless, though there was a hint of amusement in his voice.

"It's just like you, isn't it Kakashi? To have fought me only once, and to understand so much…"

"That's not all. Impressive Genjutsu means nothing if you don't have the Chakra to support it, which is why you had to leave straight after our meeting in Konoha all those years ago– isn't that right? And besides, overuse of your eyes like this must be taking a terrible toll…"

Itachi's eyes hardened.

"Impressive analysis, but I wonder how much of it is yours, and how much was provided by a mutual interest of ours. Tell me, how is Mai?"

Itachi's eyes gleamed in the darkness, and Kakashi knew that Itachi was banking on unsettling him before they fought. And despite the fact that Kakashi's rational brain knew this, understood the game Itachi was playing, he had to repress his body's instinctive snarl.

Naruto tugged on Sakura's arm, wanting to be filled in.

Itachi once more had the amused glint in his eye, as he observed the effect his words had on the team.

"Is he talking about the Hou-ou traitor?" Chiyo whispered curiously. Sakura shot her a glare trying to shut her up.

Kakashi forced himself to focus only at the matter at hand. He had a place to be, and this was an obstacle. This was just logic.

Problem Solving.

He took a breath.

"I'm sure you already know that Itachi; but I will pass on your concerns. I'm sure Mai will be thrilled. But I digress, you should save your trepidation for yourself-,"

Kakashi pulled his headband off of his Sharingan, and stared Itachi in the eye.

"- Tell me Itachi, how much of your eye sight have you already lost?"

Itachi's shock was obvious.

"Kakashi – Impossible, you-,"

"Anyway,' Kakashi spoke over him, 'this wont go like last time. Things have changed."

"Yeah!' Naruto piped up, 'I'm way stronger now too!"

Kakashi glanced at Naruto, about to tell he and the others to continue towards the hide-out where Akatsuki held Gaara, when a voice of reason popped into his head.

_Now is not the time to take revenge; this is not about you, Itachi or Mai. Let Naruto help, and you will be able to keep your head. Today is not the day for this. Besides…the kid might learn something…._

"Naruto, I'll handle him."

"What?" Naruto spluttered angrily, 'what about teamwork!"

"No, I want you to cover me this time. Okay?"

Naruto looked shocked, but almost immediately became serious. He nodded solemnly and turned his attention to Itachi.

Itachi shifted slowly into the sunlight, revealing just how different he looked since their last battle. He fixed his gaze on Naruto and smiled thinly.

"Good. Naruto, you will be coming with me."

Naruto looked Itachi in the eye.

_Shit. _Kakashi shot out from the ranks, charging his fist with chakra. Itachi blocked his punch, though he was forced back slightly. His hand clamped down on Kakashi's, and he seized him up into the air, throwing him away from the team. Kakashi righted himself and landed on his feet, skidding slightly. The brief distraction had given Sakura and Chiyo enough time to get to Naruto.

Naruto was only under Itachi's Genjutsu for a moment before his teammates grabbed a hold of him and forced their own charka through the young nin's system, freeing him from the spell.

Kakashi could hear Sakura distantly scolding Naruto; but this was not the time.

"Naruto!' Kakashi called over Sakura's voice, 'Watch me, I'll show you what to do."

The words had barely left his mouth when Itachi finished his hand signs. Kakashi sensed the attack and wove his own.

Itachi sent a ball of fire towards the group. As the inferno roared towards him, Kakashi had a bizarre vision of Mai using almost the same attack, though hers was always a bird…

He sank beneath the ground as the fire rolled above him.

Kakashi briefly felt for his team's chakra signals as he raced forwards. The earth parted for him, bringing him closer to his target.

When he felt Itachi was close enough, he leapt upwards, crashing through the layer of earth that separated he and his objective. His attack missed by mere millimetres.

Itachi retaliated, his punch flying towards Kakashi. He ducked, but let Itachi recover his footing. The other nin reacted first, grabbing Kakashi's sleeve and dragging him closer, forcing him to stare into those bright red eyes. As Itachi's Genjutsu washed over him, Kakashi had the same sensation that something was wrong; something in Itachi's chakra signal wasn't right, and yet he could see that he wasn't fighting a clone.

Darkness settled around the two of them, and Kakashi was overcome with a feeling of weakness. He looking down as his hands, and saw that he had become as thin and frail as paper.

This was new.

Movement brought his gaze up again, and saw Itachi glaring back at him.

"You're obviously sensitive about the girl, aren't you Kakashi? It's a shame she's not here to save you this time."

Kakashi remained expressionless, though he was somewhat confused as to why Itachi insisted on continuing to bring her up.

"I wonder why that is…" Itachi murmured.

Images of Mai suddenly flashed through Kakashi mind: _Mai is a child; Kakashi is scolding her while she hides in a tree. Mai is holding out her first jutsu, the sonic bomb when it explodes, Mai is fleeing the village. Mai is on the Altar. Mai is in hospital._

Kakashi grit his teeth, forcing the memories back, hiding them away from Itachi.

His enemy had become even paler, and his scowl deepened.

Kakashi could smell smoke; his body had been set alight.

He looked back at Itachi flatly, ignoring the flames that licked at his clones body. Surely he must have realised what he had done by now...

"Cute." Itachi mumbled.

The Genjutsu washed away, and the clearing came into focus.

"I didn't notice the double until it was too late,' Itachi muttered, 'Of course the jutsu wouldn't work so well on you…"

Kakashi climbed out of the hole he first created several metres away, instructing his doppleganger to hold Itachi tight, while calling out to Naruto.

"Naruto – handle him and my clone."

Desperate to prove himself, the boy shot from the forest with his own clone, carrying the largest Rasengan Kakashi had seen the boy muster. Not that it would matter. Kakashi was now quite sure that this wasn't the original Itachi. It was a proxy, more than a clone, but still, probably only an advanced concealment jutsu.

"I got it!" Naruto called out. Kakashi tightened his grip further, and watched as the attack consumed his clone and Itachi in a flash of light.

Kakashi climbed out of the earth, watching the now smoking spot were the doubles had been. Proxy or not, he could not ignore the dull satisfaction of seeing any kind of Itachi fall.

* * *

Kurenai navigated the dark stairway carefully, biting her lip in excitement. She wanted to tell someone – she _had_ to. Asuma was away, and she was still trying to figure out a way to break the news. Another surge of exhilaration tingled down her spine, and she smiled momentarily into the gloom.

She allowed herself this last little thrill before she forced her mind towards the task at hand. Kurenai had been placed in the team of Mai's minders, being one of a small group of people that she would see.

Apparently Mai had grown tired of the constant attention from nurses, minders and the like and had stopped answering her door. So Kurenai's help had been enlisted. Today was Mai's appointment with the counsellor. It was really more of an interview to learn as much as possible about Mai's time with the Akatsuki. The sessions were long and tough, and Mai always came out of the room pale and silent, but the elders were insisting on results from Mai and Tsunade's plan.

As Kurenai wandered over to her friend's apartment, she quickly ran through the list of things she had been instructed not to talk about. _Don't ask her how she's coping, don't mention Akatsuki, or the fact that the Kazekage had been abducted by the Akatsuki, or that Kakashi had run off on a mission to retrieve said hostage. Definitely don't mention that he's back and in the hospital. Hell, don't mention Kakashi _what so-ever_._

And don't mention this latest…thing.

With the village on high alert with the latest Akatsuki threat, Tsunade had let the supervision of Mai fall to Anko. Anko had taken on the roll with great gusto, and had summoned the small group of ninja assigned around the village to keep an eye on the reclusive young woman.

"_Listen up!'_ Anko had shouted during a meeting with Mai's watchers.

'_You've all heard about the situation with the Sand and whatever, but here's the deal: Don't tell Sumiko, or she'll flip her frigging lid again and blow us all the hell up."_

Kurenai had been at the back of the group, she knew by now to take the enthusiastic ninja with a pinch of salt, as did many of the older Nin. Anko's efforts were not totally in vain, some of the Chunin looked somewhat nervous. It was almost funny, really, that everyone thought Mai to be such a basket case – an experience like that would haunt anyone, and you'd have to be insane for it not to. And anyway, it wasn't like Mai was the first; Kurenai knew of many ninja to elude the public after missions less horrific than the one Mai had just been on.

Asuma had distanced himself several times after difficult missions; so had Kakashi, once or twice. Unfortunately, they were labelled at 'tortured' and 'mysterious', Mai was just nuts.

_And besides,_ Kurenai thought as she knocked on her friends door, _she's sane enough to evade her watchers most of the time, Anko's probably still pissed off -,_

The door flew wide open and sunlight flooded the corridor. Mai stood in the doorway; she was still too thin, and she had dark circles under her eyes, but she looked far better than she had a few weeks ago. During Kurenai's quick assessment, Mai's expression had changed from curiosity, to cheery, to shock.

"You're pregnant!" She yelled.

Disbelief settled across Kurenai's face. How could she have been so stupid, Mai was an advanced medical nin, of course she'd know…

"…Uh" was all Kurenai could say; her mind reeling, trying to think of a way to ease the shock for her friend.

"How'd you manage that?" Mai asked, still yelling, and now looking at Kurenai in astonishment.

"Er…the usual way, Maia." Kurenai finally found her voice.

Mai seemed to realise what she'd said, and laughed.

"Oh. Come in then, Preggers."

Kurenai was sure to keep her face neutral, but though the surprise of Mai's discovery had worn off, she was caught off guard once more by her over-all attitude.

Mai's demeanour was strained, she was trying too hard to establish that she was back to being her old self.

Mai wandered into the apartment, leaving Kurenai to shut the door behind her. She automatically scouted the place for warning signs of Mai's state of mind, but everything seemed normal.

"Do you want anything to drink? I don't think I have anything caffeine free…Oh look, juice." Kurenai rounded the corner, and saw Mai staring into her over-filled fridge. Kurenai bit her lip; Mai never had food, she always ate it within a day or two of buying it.

Mai kicked the door closed and wandered around the kitchen looking for glasses. It was almost as though she didn't know where anything was.

It would explain the lack of weight gain, Kurenai thought grimly – she'd have to report that.

"Anyway, how far along are you?" Mai called over her shoulder.

Mai took the glasses and juice out the kitchen and settled at the small dining table.

"I'm not sure, six weeks – maybe? You'd probably know better than me." Kurenai raised an eyebrow, curious to see if Mai's training extended that far.

Mai shrugged, "I don't have anything to do with babies, but you're glowing and you look like your hiding something. Two plus Two, y'know."

Kurenai laughed before changing the subject.

"How are you doing Mai?"

The false cheery expression dropped. Mai played with one of the cups absent minded, frowning at the glass. Kurenai held her breath.

"I'm fine." She finally muttered.

"Mai, you don't have-,"

"I'm doing my best Kurenai. Okay?" She flashed Kurenai a look that sent a clear message: _just leave it alone._

Kurenai considered her for a minute.

"Alright Mai. But we'd better get going; you're due at the hospital in ten minutes…" Kurenai stood and sidled to the door. Mai frowned and rolled her eyes, but still followed her.

"I could get there by myself you know. I don't need a babysitter."

"Yes Mai."

Kurenai passed through the doorway to the hall, waiting for Mai to lock up.

"And could you tell Anko to get a life? I'm getting sick of her watching mine so damn close."

"Yes Mai."

* * *

Kakashi gazed at the ceiling in boredom. The mission to the Sand had been successful – but they had only just made it. Once again his Sharingan had landed him in hospital, it having temporarily paralyzed his body from over exertion.

He allowed himself to briefly think of Itachi – if an heir of the Uchiha blood-line trait was running the risk of losing his sight, how long could Kakashi last before feeling the more permanent effects of the Sharingan?

Next time he had a break between missions he would head into the mountains, train himself to last longer when using-,

He heard hurried footsteps coming down the hall. They were stealthy and quiet; someone was undoubtedly running from something. Suddenly the steps halted, and backtracked –stopping just outside his door. The chakra signal was not of one of the nurses, it felt more like…_Surely not…_

Mai stepped hesitantly over the threshold. Kakashi stared back blankly. She swayed on the spot slightly, as if deciding whether to retreat. Finally she came forward, though gave his bed a wide berth, as though she were afraid of catching something.

She spotted his chart and began to read it carefully.

Neither had spoke; Kakashi half expected her to flee if he said two words to her.

Mai kept glancing up from the chart, checking that the information was correct.

Finally she said and stepped back again.

"Y'know, if it were up to me, you'd be out of here already", Mai said conversationally.

"Oh? And how's that?" Kakashi asked politely, choosing to go alone with abrupt personality change instead of sending a barrage of questions her way.

"How did you get in this state?" She asked, ignoring him.

Kakashi briefly thought of his fight with Itachi, the Akatsuki, the kidnapping of the Kazekage, and decided that now wasn't the time to fill Mai in on absolutely everything that had come to pass.

"Sharingan overuse I suppose."

She nodded thoughtfully.

"Well, I'd only keep you here for a few days to let your body rest, then help a few of your more severe muscle tears heal, you're already on a chakra infusion…You still have to rest of course, but being at home is better than here..,' she said tonelessly, before adding on as an after thought, ' Th'nurses are probably punishing you…"

This was the most Mai had said to him since her return. She remained at the foot of his bed, now looking out the window.

"So why don't you do that?" Kakashi asked, trying to the keep her talking.

"Oh, I'm here to visit the councillor, not to nurse."

"But I'm sure you could still manage."

She shrugged, still looking out the window.

"Now that I'm the crazy person of Konoha, the chances of me _actually_ blowing you up are some what more probable."

"How much more?" Kakashi asked pleasantly.

"90 percent. So I probably shouldn't try."

"Probably not."

Awkward silence settled between them. Kakashi determined not to start the conversation first, he was curious as to where Mai was going with this visit. Surely she had not hunted him down to the hospital just to read his chart. Tsunade would never have told her that he was here. Mai suddenly looked uncomfortable, and Kakashi realised that he was staring at her hard.

"Uh, I'd better get back, Kurenai is meant to be "minding" me and she'll be having a fit that I ran off again…"

"You ran away from Kurenai?"

She shrugged, looking down at her feet and smiling crookedly.

"If I'm to be treated like a lunatic child, I may as well have the joy of behaving as one."

She glanced up at him; looking like she expected him to question her. Her attempts at normalcy were failing her, and with Tsunade's constant babysitting attempts were sapping her confidence.

"Okay Mai."

She paused for a moment before moving to leave. She seemed so small now, so unsure of herself. He would go and talk to Tsunade when he could move; this was ridiculous, how could she not see what she was doing? These measures had been put in place to stop any more 'episodes' like before, but it was doing Mai more harm than good.

"Hey,' Kakashi called out before she disappeared, 'I was thinking about going into the mountains for a few days to train. Just to get out of the village and away from everyone for a while; but I could use a partner, if you wanted to get back into it."

Mai stopped in the doorway; head cocked. Again she swayed, as if making another decision.

"Can I think about it?"

"Yes."

She nodded quickly, before hurrying from the room.

* * *

**Hello readers, thank you for sticking with me on this. I know I suck with the updates, so this chapter is somewhat longer : )**

**I hate writing the canon; I hope you all are able to fill in the gaps of events from the Manga. I like to avoid it where possible, but for where this is heading I do need to start incorporating some of the original story line. Thank you for the reviews, you people always inspire me to write and do creative things. **

**Safe and Happy Holidays,**

**Harper.**


	13. Chapter 13

"Have you told Asuma yet?" Mai asked, blowing on her tea.

Kurenai resumed tapping her mug, looking away guiltily.

"Kurenai!" Mai said, exasperated.

Kurenai shrugged somewhat gloomily.

"He probably just thinks I'm getting fat – I haven't found the right time to tell him…"

Mai rolled her eyes and looked out the café window. She pulled a face at group passing by. They veered away sharply, a few looking obviously concerned. Mai seemed happy with the effect.

"He's not stupid. He's gonna figure it out, and then he will definitely be pissed that you kept it a secret."

Mai craned her neck to watch the surrounding rooftops, scanning the area for her minders. Kurenai raised an eyebrow.

"They aren't there. You're with me", she said shortly. Mai gave her a furtive look before sighing.

"They're there", the girl muttered, her eyes still searching. Kurenai followed her gaze, but failed to catch a glimpse of the phantom stalker. Every now and then she would see flashes of the old Mai; progress that had earned a satisfied grunt from Tsunade. However, there were still recurring bouts of paranoia and aggressive behavior that had some of the higher-ups nervous.

Mai suddenly set her cup back on the table and stood up.

"Uh…okay, bye then" Kurenai shook her head in disbelief.

Mai jumped slightly, as though she had forgotten Kurenai was still sitting with her.

"I have to go. Sorry."

Mai gave her a brief smile, glanced out the window again and darted out of the café. Kurenai slumped back in her chair and rubbed her eyes tiredly. She'd have to report this and Tsunade would not be happy. She was sure that there was no one out there; today was her shift after all…

She stood and stretched. Perhaps she should ask Kakashi to talk to the Hokage, ask her to reduce Mai's guard to just one or two people. It'd certainly reduce the girl's paranoia. She had suggested it a few weeks ago and Tsunade had tore her a new one.

'She likes Kakashi, she might listen to him,' Kurenai thought blandly, 'and besides, I have to deal with the shit fit Asuma is going to throw…"

* * *

Kakashi ran into Gai during his customary dash from the hospital, and was subjected to several minutes of bragging and boasting.

"It's been far too long Kakashi! We are falling behind in our matches, I believe I won the last, but l shall give you the opportunity to save face right now. Say, ten laps around the village?"

Kakashi rubbed his eyes tiredly.

"I literally just escaped the hospital, I'm going home."

Gai slapped him on the back.

"If you're not fixed, go back to the clinic."

"No, go find Asuma. He'll be glad to run around aimlessly, I'm sure."

Gai grumbled something about Asuma always being with Kurenai. Kakashi ignored him, and pulled a book from his shuriken pouch. He only had his bingo book on him from the mission to the Sand, and he wished dully that it were one of the Icha Icha series. Those were better at distracting him from Gai's mutterings.

After several minutes of feigning interest in some rookie's statistics, he finally cut Gai off.

"Aren't you seeing that friend of Hana's? Go chase her around the village."

Gai sniffed.

"_I_ don't chase women Kakashi, they chase me."

Kakashi shut his eyes for a moment, trying to forget that tidbit of information. Gai charged on with the conversation, regardless of Kakashi's silence.

"We could train instead? When are you starting your missions again anyway? You seem to spend more time in hospital than in the field" Gai said grumpily.

Kakashi rolled his eyes and studied the rooftops.

"In a week or so. When Naruto gets back from his mission with Yamato, Tsunade wants me to resume his training."

Gai stopped abruptly in the middle of the street, causing several pedestrians to bump into him.

"A _whole _week?"

Something small whistled over their heads. Kakashi's looked up too late to see.

"What was that-" Gai managed to get out, before being cut off by an almighty bang.

Smashed roof tiles cascaded into the street, causing people to run for cover. Kakashi jumped up onto a near by balcony, startling a woman hanging out her washing. He leapt onto the rooftop above and looked in the direction of the destruction. A small crater had been burned in the building opposite.

Several ninja stood around it looking furious.

One shook his fists at Kakashi.

"You crazy bitch!"

Gai was suddenly at Kakashi's side, watching the other ninja in confusion.

"Kakashi, why is that man calling you a bitch?"

Kakashi shrugged, "Not sure".

The ninja's face paled, and the group jumped out of the way as a kunai hurtled past Kakashi's face and crashed into the spot the angry ninja had been standing moments before. The knife exploded on impact, sending more of the building into the street. Somebody cursed and more shouts came from the road below.

Kakashi looked over his shoulder. He felt the smallest flicker of surprise when he saw Mai scowling back.

She balanced at the apex of the roof, standing stock-still. Her arms were crossed tightly over her chest. She suddenly leaned forward and bellowed at the group of ninja.

"No, _you're _the bitch; now piss off before I throw another!"

She hadn't seemed to have noticed Kakashi and Gai yet, too busy watching her perceived enemy.

The Nin on the other roof looked tired and grumpy, as if they had been at this all day. The mouthy one shook his head.

"Not a chance; in fact, I'm going to get Anko to add even more security – you clearly need it".

Mai's scowl deepened, and with speed that was almost unnatural, reached into the kunai holder strapped to her thigh and hurled another knife at the speaker.

Kakashi snatched the weapon as it passed, tore the explosive tag off and ripped it in half. He looked over his shoulder at Mai, who seemed to have just noticed him standing there. She walked over sullenly, watching the two of them carefully.

Tsunade's security squad called out to him.

"Hey! Thanks for the hand! This has been a nightmare!"

Mai threw the man a filthy look, her attention diverted once again.

"I am so bloody sick of this frigging village", she hissed, holding out her hand. Kakashi gave back the offending kunai and smiled slightly.

"Hello Mai, how are you?" Gai said brightly.

Mai failed to return his smile. She pocketed her weapon and folded her arms again. The ninja had formed a line along the edge of the rooftop, and looked as though they were preparing to give chase.

"How long have these guys been at it?" Kakashi asked. He didn't recognize any of them; they were probably Chunin, most likely new.

"All day" Mai replied through clenched teeth. Her scowl suddenly faded, and she turned her gaze, now thoughtful, towards Kakashi.

"Weren't you meant to be in the mountains by now?"

Gai gave Kakashi an accusatory look.

"You never told me that-,"

"I was going to leave tomorrow morning,' Kakashi cut in, 'did you want to start training again?"

Mai looked back towards her watchers. She frowned slightly, and then nodded.

"No, but I don't want to do _this _either. First thing tomorrow?"

Kakashi smiled, "I'll meet you at the gate."

Mai's mouth curled into the smallest of smiles and nodded again. She turned away and walked towards the edge of the roof, facing her pursuers. Her smile grew wider as she waved at them, before her clone disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Her security team's unanimous screech of frustration could be heard for miles.

* * *

For once in his life, Kakashi was early. He leaned against one of the gateposts in the dusky morning light uncertain of whether Mai would actually show. She seemed to have little trouble distracting her team of watchers with decoys, and hopefully they would be able to leave the village without them. Tsunade would probably be pissed that he was taking Mai with him, but he figured that she was so buried in work regarding the latest Akatsuki upsurges that she would hardly notice.

Kakashi turned his mind towards the journey at hand. It took several hours to get to the mountains; they would arrive by mid-morning and could begin training after lunch. He was looking forward to the exertion after being cooped up in a tiny hospital room for the last week. Speaking of exercise, his dogs would probably appreciate the run. He pulled out his summoning scroll and weaved signs above it. The pack appeared in a flash of smoke and noise, looking about excitedly.

Pakkun was the calmest of the group. He sat at Kakashi's feet and peered curiously into the distance.

"So Boss, where're we headed?" the pug asked in its comically gruff voice.

"The mount, I figured you guys could use the exercise,' he glanced back towards the Konoha streets, 'I'm just waiting on Maia."

A few of the dogs had grown restless and started wandering around the streets. Pakkun and Bull lay at his feet, their eyes alert and searching for movement in the morning fog. Kakashi allowed his mind to drift; he and Mai had not spent more than a few minutes at a time in each other's company since her return. There had only been two or three instances where they had actually been alone together…

He wondered vaguely if this was such a good idea; if Mai would even turn up.

He forced his mind away from that possibility; if she came, she came. He instead turned his thoughts to what his training regime would be. He knew of a good place to set up camp for the week, by the river that ran along side the forest. There was a flattened cliff face nearby that provided a challenging climb; he could start with that each morning…

Running footsteps caught his attention. He turned his head towards the racket coming from within the otherwise silent village. A few of the dogs barked and ventured further into the street from which the noise came. A figure could be made out in the haze, and the dogs stood alert and on edge. Kakashi still leaned on the gatepost, calm but watchful.

Bisuke, a small tan coloured dog suddenly relaxed and bounded into fog. It tore towards the hurried figure. Kakashi raised an eyebrow and the dog jumped at the person and apparently landed in their arms.

"Pathetic", Pakkun growled, though he too had relaxed.

Mai darted out from the cover of the haze clutching the ecstatic dog. Kakashi stood straight and began to call a greeting when Mai shook her head frantically. She released the animal and started gesturing at the gate.

""Run!" She mouthed, still gesturing wildly. Kakashi whistled lowly to the dogs and with a nod of his head they dashed through the Konoha gates and into the forest beyond.

As he turned back to Mai, he saw several shadow clones peel away from her into side streets. He could hear voices in the distance, calling to each other as they spotted the clones racing around.

Kakashi charged chakra to his legs and felt the adrenaline course through his muscles. It felt as though it had been more than a few weeks since he had been able to cut loose like this. He waited until just before Mai reached him before turning and sprinting into the forest.

"Ignore them! Those're clones! The real one's going for the forest!" One of the guards shouted behind them.

Kakashi leapt up onto the thick canopy of branches and heard Mai land somewhere behind him. He could sense the dogs up ahead waiting for them.

"I'd have thought you knew how to get rid of them by now", he called over his shoulder. He turned mid jump to look at Mai and nearly lost his footing when he landed. She was looking over her shoulder and laughing, listening to the frustrated yells of the team that now lagged so far behind.

Still smiling as she looked back at him, she answered "I do, but they were waiting for me this morning - they didn't like the blowing up the street bit very much."

Kakashi smiled and shook his head at her. They continued in silence for a few minutes until they caught up with the waiting dogs. Kakashi signaled for them to drop to ground level. He pulled Mai under the cover of the branches of several small trees. The dogs ran around their ankles, excited to see her again after so long.

Mai crouched and patted them a silent hello while Kakashi kept an eye on the canopy above.

The voices were louder now, and further spread out. Kakashi tapped Mai's shoulder gently to gain her attention. She tensed immediately and stood, watching him carefully. He formed had signs to create a Shadow Clone and indicated for her to do the same.

The voices grew even closer, yet the clones didn't move away immediately. They faced each other, smiling slightly. Kakashi cleared his throat and nodded for them to move away. The two copies finally set out side by side through the bush, though before they moved out of sight he saw his clone extend his hand to Mai's. Kakashi looked away when she accepted his invitation.

He risked a glance in Mai's direction. She was staring after the clones, her jaw clenched. One of the dogs whimpered and nudged her hand with his wet nose. She jumped and looked around, though refused to meet his eyes.

A shout from their pursuers broke the silence, and signaled the discovery of the clones. Kakashi paused for a moment, making sure that the guards had moved far enough away before waving for Mai to follow him.

* * *

Kakashi woke before the first few raindrops fell. He shivered, pulling his vest tightly around him. Mai had sat up too, looking around blearily. Thunder rumbled overhead, causing both of them to jump slightly.

"Wha-," she began before the heaven's cracked open. Rain poured down in sheets, instantly soaking them and their gear. They were on their feet in seconds; Mai's curses were muffled by the downfall.

The dogs ran into the storm and were instantly covered in mud, barking happily at the rain. Kakashi shoved the scrolls he had been studying earlier into his pack and grabbed the few belongings that had scattered themselves around their camp. His muscles creaked slightly, stiff from the afternoon work out. Mai was fastening her bag, and Kakashi waved to get her attention.

"There's a cave about a mile back, this-,' a sudden increase in the downpour forced him to shout, 'this doesn't look like it'll finish for a while!"

She nodded and headed off in the direction he gestured. Kakashi whistled to the dogs and they reluctantly left their self-made swamp to follow.

* * *

He had stayed in this cave during his time away from Konoha; and he was thankful for the foresight to stock wood at the back of it. Kakashi lit a fire quickly and the two of them changed, laying their wet things on the dusty floor. Mai was yet to say anything; she looked half asleep anyway.  
He himself hadn't realized how tired he was until he lay down. The last few days had been intense training-wise, though he did it alone. Mai seemed reluctant to train along side him. She would maintain polite conversation when necessary, but she was far more prone to keep to herself. He assumed it was the behavior of the clones that threw her.

Mai lay a few feet away with her back to him. The dog's snores filled the cavern, and the rain falling dully on the rock outside made his eyes droop. He allowed his muscles to relax into the hard floor, relishing its cool touch to his slightly achy body. Sleep dulled his senses, and the last thing Kakashi heard was the sound of the world slipping away…

He stood in the gloomy hallway, facing the closed screen doors. The air was cold and damp and the echoes of the rain thundering on the tiled roof echoed through the empty hallways. Lightening lit up the room beyond the screens, revealing the sprawled silhouette that lay beyond. He didn't want to go in. He knew what was waiting for him behind the door, but it was impossible to resist the compulsion.

Kakashi watched as his hand reached out and slid open the door. Lightening flashed again, and his eyes fixed upon the body. Even particle of his being screamed at him to back away; run and hide in the dark halls. Yet he knew it was pointless; this dream always played the same way.  
His feet shuffled forwards, stepping quietly over the smooth wooden floor of his father's quarters. The hair on his arms stood on end, and a cold sweat broke on his brow. His breath caught in his chest as he crouched and placed a hand on the figures shoulder. At his touch the body rolled over towards him; and Mai's glassy stare met his.

His eyes shot open and before his brain could wake fully he had flung his arm out and pulled Mai into his chest. His heart was pounding as he moved only his eyes to study his surroundings. They lay in the cave; it was still raining down in sheets outside. The fire had gone out at some point and was now glowing dully. Pakkun had woken at Kakashi's start, and the dog peered questioningly in his owner's direction.

Kakashi let go of the breath he had been holding and closed his eyes. It had just been a dream. Or rather, an old memory. Except this time it had been Mai, instead of his father…

Mai.

Kakashi's eyes snapped back open. Mai lay tense and unmoving under his grip. He swallowed hard and relaxed his hold slightly, though was unwilling to let go. She hadn't thrown him off, and her breathing was slow and calm; it didn't appear as though he had frightened her. He tried to relax his body and feign sleep so she would believe he had just reached out unconsciously.

"…You okay?" Mai breathed. Kakashi winced slightly; no such luck.

"Yeah" he murmured at her back. She still hadn't moved away.

"…Just a dream" Mai mumbled sleepily.

He lifted his head slightly to study her face. Her eyes were shut and her face was relaxed. She took a deep breath and as she released it, her body relaxed slightly too.

Sure that she was all right, Kakashi lay back down and shut his eyes.

"Are you cold? I can restart the fire…" Kakashi asked; giving her one last opportunity to escape before he fell asleep curled around her. However, her breathing had already slowed to the deep steady rhythm of sleep.

He listened to her breathe and silently thanked whoever was responsible for this small mercy. Kakashi sunk further into slumber, with all traces of his nightmare forgotten.

* * *

Mai was not in his arms when he woke up. Kakashi looked around the cave blearily; the fire had reduced itself to smoldering ashes and rain still misted down in sheets outside. He pulled on a somewhat clean shirt and his vest and started clicking his joints back into place. He was getting to old to be spending so many consecutive nights on slab floors.

Only a few of his Ninken remained sleeping in the cave; he assumed the rest were out hunting, or had perhaps accompanied Mai to wherever she had disappeared to.

He wandered to the mouth of the cave, and studied the slickened rock of the surrounding cliffs. In the wet they provided a greater challenge; something to wake him up.

Kakashi grabbed his pack and pulled out two kunai. He wrapped the handles in bandages for grip, threw one of the few dry pieces of wood they had salvaged on the dying fire and headed out into the downpour.

Thirty minutes later and Kakashi's muscles were fire and ice. His nose had surely frozen off by now, due to the absence of his mask, and he was drenched. He breathed deeply to slow his heart rate and looked out over the forest. Everything appeared to be behind a grey haze. A shout in the distance caught his attention, and his Sharingan instinctively honed in on the subject.

Someone was running on the river – Mai – and dogs ran with her. Though they were too far away for Kakashi to make out their expressions, he sensed that their run for enjoyment, and not because of any immediate danger. He turned away and focused on the task at hand. Pausing any longer would see him frozen to the cliff side.

* * *

Kurenai wrung her hands nervously, pacing outside the deployment office. They had been on their way to dinner when Asuma had received an urgent summons to the mission bureau. She bit her lip, tonight was the night she was supposed to break the news, but now it seemed unlikely that Asuma would still be in the village in the next ten minutes.

She chewed her thumbnail nervously. She was more than two months along now, and if Asuma hadn't already started to notice the changes in her body, he would soon.

Kurenai pinched the bridge of her nose. No matter how urgent this was getting, blurting out the news five minutes before Asuma ran off to kill someone wasn't exactly a picture of familial wholesomeness.

The sound of the scraping chairs and raised voices met Kurenai's ears, and she straightened as the door opened and a red-faced Asuma emerged. His jaw was clenched and his eyes were reduced to angry slits. Shikimaru, Kotetsu and Izumo followed, all looking grim in his wake.

Definitely not the time for discussing babies then.

A meaningful look from Asuma saw his team retreat to the other side of the hall. They busied themselves with the packs the lay waiting and checked their weapons. Kurenai swallowed hard, and squeezed Asuma's arm gently. His face relaxed slightly, and he sighed heavily.

"The monastery just beyond the city was attacked this morning. The monks were just torn apart. Apparently the attackers were after a body; the cemetery has been ransacked."

Kurenai raised her eyebrows. It was awful to hear, absolutely, but it didn't explain the extent of Asuma's fury.

"Any idea who-?,"

Asuma's expression went from anger to worry, and Kurenai's stomach flipped.

"Reports indicate that it was two members of the Akatsuki…"

The team was ready to leave. They shuffled their feet anxiously. Kurenai's grip hardened involuntarily and her words dried up in her throat. He couldn't leave. He saw what those monsters had done to Mai, and knew of the horrors they had in store for the village. Yet he would still go eagerly to challenge them…

Asuma's face softened entirely, and he reached up to detangle himself from Kurenai's clutching hands soothingly. She desperately tried to tell him to stay, to say anything, but the words could not conquer the growing lump in her throat.

"Try not to worry. We have plenty of back up to call on; we're only going to scout the situation."

He looked over his shoulder and nodded at his team to start without him. As they walked away, Asuma laid a hand on her belly.

"Mai and Kakashi will be back in a few days; you call her if you need anything, ok?"

Kurenai looked up at him, stunned. She placed her hand over his and managed a small nod. Asuma brushed a few stray hairs out of her face and kissed her gently.

"I'll see you."

And after one last kiss, he was gone.

* * *

The barks of the dogs were far below them when they reached the summit of the cliff. The night was clear and stars normally hidden by the radiant city were on full display. Mai's fire -bird had followed them up the cliff, lighting the way. He had finally conned her into doing a training exercise with him. Kakashi had wanted to do it blind, but Mai had insisted that she was in no state to heal him when he fell off.

"I will literally made you explode", she had told him matter-of-factly.

They had laid on their backs, making light conversation while they watched the sky. Nothing consequential was addressed, though their past hung about them heavily.  
They talked about their friends, work, etcetera, but there was no mention of the upcoming war, of Akatsuki or Naruto.

The longer they talked, the more visibly tense Mai became, as though she were bracing herself for some assault. She had blurted out Kurenai's pregnancy in an attempt to distract him.

"She hasn't told Asuma yet, she reckons he's going to have a total bitch fit because she's, like, two months along or something. She'd better hurry up through or else she's going to be the weirdest looking fat person ever."

"He knows." Kakashi said simply.

Mai looked at him, surprised.

"Since when?!"

He smiled to himself, "I don't know. Mai, he's a guy, not stupid. Of course he does."

She looked somewhat put out at that and muttered something about telling Kurenai when they returned to Konoha.

They sat quietly for a moment, each lost in their own thoughts. Kakashi was enjoying trying to imagine Asuma, and then Gai, as a father when Mai spoke again.

"You think you'll ever have kids?"

It was his turn to be surprised. They had never discussed this in the past. Her face remained impassive.

"It depends, I suppose…" He watched her carefully. He could see her tense further, and knew she would attempt to leave the situation she had landed herself in.

She sat up abruptly and brushed her knees free of invisible dirt.

"It's getting cold, we should head back" she quickly. Kakashi was on his feet instantly. It was now or never.

"Mai-," His voice was cut off by a long, high-pitched howl. It pierced the night, and everything else dissolved into silence. It had stopped Mai's flight short at least, and Kakashi moved towards her.

Mai was looking out towards the source of the noise, avoiding his eyes.

"Such a lonely sound, don't you think?" She murmured.

He couldn't resist. Before she could react he had her against his chest. He could feel her heart beating hard against his chest; her eyes were shut.

He leaned down and brushed her lips lightly with his. She relaxed slightly, and lifted her mouth to his.

Kakashi took her invitation fervently, kissing her hard. He wrapped his arms around her waist and crushed her against him. Her hands tangled themselves in his hair and relief swept through him. He had almost forgotten what this felt like, what _she _felt like.

Mai whimpered slightly, her grip tightening further. His hands began to roam the length of her, reacquainting themselves.

She made the noise again, and now she was pushing against his shoulders.

_Mai, no…_ Kakashi bit back his frustration and released the now panting woman.

Mai stumbled slightly, but waved away his movement to help her.

"No Kakashi. Leave me alone," She said, her eyes bright.

"What's wrong?" Kakashi asked, bewildered. What had happened just then?

She just shook her head and looked around for an exit. She made to move past him, but he blocked her path.

"Mai, tell me."

"I just can't do this Kakashi."

"What?"

"There's too much going on, I can't risk it", she answered, distracted. He side-stepped her again.

"You mean with Akatsuki?" What did that have to do with anything?

"I shouldn't get involved with people – they'll find out and-,"

Irritation crept upon Kakashi. Maia's eyes flittered around as she attempted to find another escape route. He had had enough of this dance, the constant martyrdom and angst. There was more to this, and she was avoiding the truth at all costs.

"For God's sake Mai; would you stop with the self-sacrifice for five minutes?"

Kakashi ground out, glaring back at the woman before him

"Hiding yourself away from me, your friends, your work - avoiding any contact because of Akatsuki? Enough. Stop using them as an excuse. Tell me what's going on."

She shook her head.

"They are after me, they will hurt any one who-,"

"They are after everyone, Mai! Regardless of your involvement, these are dangerous times. You are saving no one by hiding yourself away. You escaped the Akatsuki, yet you insist on staying on their leash. You seem determined to hang yourself with it."

She glared at him, her lips pursed in anger.

"What would you fucking know about it? I said no, leave me alone."

She made to walk away, but Kakashi was having none of it. He grabbed her arm and pulled her back to him.

"Then tell me about it already Mai. Stop thinking that you alone can bear what's going on – it's insulting to the people trying to help you" He bit out coldly.

She tried to yank her arm out of his grip, but he held her fast.

"Oh sorry, I didn't realize; it's all about you, isn't it?" She snarled, evading his challenge.

"No – but it's not all about you either."

If looks could kill. They were almost nose to nose, and Kakashi was tempted to kiss her again, to see what kind of reaction he could provoke. She broke their gaze first, and he shook her gently.

"Why."

She was fading. Her mouth downturned and her eyes became glassy.

"They'll hurt you if we are involved," She said softly.

He suppressed a growl of frustration.

"Bullshit."

The teary eyes were gone in an instant as she faced him again.

"What?"

"They are going to try to kill me whether we're together or not. Stop lying to me and tell the truth."

She looked about ready to rip him to shreds; he could feel the chakra stirring and growing inside her. Kakashi held his ground, meeting her eye calmly.

"Why come all the way out here with me Mai? You could have stayed home and trained with Asuma or Gai."

No answer.

"Are you really that afraid of Akatsuki? Now?"

"I don't want to talk anymore,' she finally breathed out. However she stayed rooted to the spot.

"After all that time away, when you were certain you wouldn't survive, now is the time that you are scared?" Kakashi growled.

Her face had drained of all colour and her breathing was labored. Finally, a genuine reaction.

"Tell me why."

He moved in front of her and made to kiss her again, when she finally broke.

"I don't deserve it!"

He stared at her in silence. There were no tears this time, just resignation on her face. She met his gaze tiredly and stepped away from him.

"I don't deserve it," she said again quietly.

Her eyes searched his for any understanding, but Kakashi only felt numb.

"Please. Just leave me alone. I shouldn't have come out here, it isn't right. I'm going to go home."

She turned away from him, and he let her go. He watched distantly as she lowered herself over the cliff side.

The wolf howled again, though Kakashi barely heard it. His mind repeated her words over and over, and for the first time in a long time, he didn't know what to do.

* * *

Tsunade's scowl slipped away when Kakashi and Maia's thunderous faces finally bobbed into view. She stood at the village gate with several members of the Sumiko guard; many of whom were trying to distance themselves as far away as possible from the Hokage's wrath. She had required the both of them over the last few days, and had been furious to find that they had disappeared without notice.

She had needed Kakashi to resume his training with Naruto as soon as he was up to it, yet the first opportunity he had, he'd run off into the woods again.

And taken one of the villages most wanted and most unstable Nin along for the ride.

Her anger flared up again, and she started her tirade before the duo stepped over the villages threshold.

"What the hell did I tell you Hatake?! Naruto needs to start training right away! What the hell were you thinking? And Sumiko, I've had people looking for you everywhere – we've needed information! Akatsuki are on the move and you disappear off the face of the earth!"

Tsunade paused to catch her breath, and caught the fleeting dark look the two exchanged. One of the guards took a visible step away from her, earning him a scathing look.

Kakashi stepped forward.

"I'll go to Naruto now Lord Hokage. My apologies" he managed to bite out, meeting her gaze coolly. Before she could snap at him, he had leapt up onto one of the rooftops and disappeared.

She turned the force of her glare back to Mai, who was scowling at the spot Kakashi had just vacated. Seeing as the girl did not seem in a hurry to speak, it was Tsunade who broke the silence.

"Well? What do you have to say for yourself?"

The muscles in the girls jaw tightened, and when she finally met the Hokage's gaze, her eyes had a nostalgically steely glint in them. Several of the guards muttered to each other in the background; making their annoyance with the girl more than clear.

"I'd say that having me followed around like a time bomb is a waste of resources, and that the warriors of the Konoha ought to be better trained if they can constantly be outwitted and outrun by one supposed crazy person".

Tsunade raised an eyebrow.

"I'm tired of this shit Tsunade. I'll help you however you want, but it's time to call off your dogs and leave me be. For now I'm going home."

She bowed to the Hokage, and then eyed the guard.

"You lot: Stay," She ordered, before walking into the busy Konoha street. Tsunade suppressed the twitch at the corners of her mouth.  
_Finally._


	14. Chapter 14

"That's good Naruto, but you need to take a break. All these shadow clones use a lot of chakra."

Naruto's face turned red in frustration, and the kid started waving the leaf he was working on in Kakashi's face.

"I've only managed to cut the edge! I'll never get there if you guys keep stopping me!"

Kakashi sighed, not in the mood to argue. They had been out here for hours, and Naruto had made good progress in his new training. Yamato had been assigned to supervise, should Naruto access the chakra of the nine tailed fox.

"I can see how low your chakra levels are. You keep pushing, and you will access the fox's supply. You know Yamato has to lock you down if this happens, and you will be out of action for a few days, not just half an hour."

Naruto glared up at him, and Kakashi suppressed another sigh.

Jinchuuriki; _honestly_.

He hadn't seen Mai in a few days, not since they returned home. Tsunade hadn't smashed his door in, so he figured she was okay. He had avoided thinking of her, and thrown himself into Naruto's training happily.

He heard someone approach, but his attention was drawn back to Naruto who was muttering under his breath. Kakashi watched the chakra pool in the boy's hands and focus on the leaf he was supposed to cut in half.

"Naruto, stop." Kakashi said half-heartedly.

The kid ignored him, gritting his teeth. Kakashi was about to call Yamato to intervene, when Yamato cut him off.

"Kakashi-sempai! We're to stop training and head back to the village."

Kakashi turned and saw Izumo standing behind Yamato, both wore grim expressions, both watched Kakashi carefully.

Naruto roared in frustration and threw his leaf on the ground.

"Why?!"

Kakashi cleared his throat, trying to ignore the dread that crept over him.

"What's happened exactly?" His voice was level, though visions of Mai crept through his mind.

Yamato and Izuma exchanged a look before either spoke.

"It's Asuma. He's passed away."

* * *

Shikamaru had been sitting on Kurenai's couch for hours. He stared blankly at his knees, trying to wrap his head around what had happened.

Asuma was gone.

His mentor was dead.

The door to Kurenai's room was shut, and there hadn't been a single sound from within. He had taken it upon himself to deliver the news – his teammates being too devastated to function. Kurenai had collapsed to the floor, the small swell of her belly becoming apparent as she did so.

He didn't know what to do – he was sure that he would tear apart at the seams – the sheer cruelty of it all. He had frozen in the doorway, gazing down at the sobbing woman with nothing but a maddening buzzing in his brain and a constant circuit of "he is dead. He is dead" ringing in his ears.

And then – thank the Gods – the Sumiko girl had appeared. She hadn't explained how she knew what had happened, hadn't even acknowledged that he was there. She had pulled Kurenai to her feet and taken her to her room, where the two still remained.

He pulled out Asuma's lighter and twirled it helplessly in his fingers. What did he do now? The usual flow of battle plans and tactics had dried up, and the harder he thought the more his head throbbed.

All he could see were the men from Akatsuki, impossibly strong; smirking as Asuma dropped to the ground.

Shikamaru looked at the closed door again.

The beginnings of an idea flickered into his thoughts. Asuma's death played once more behind his eyes, but this time Shikamaru thought of the men responsible. He replayed their attacks, their defense, and their movements.

The numbness that had weighted his mind and muscles seeped away, and anger took its place.

The idea began to grow.

He was so absorbed in his thoughts he barely noticed the bedroom door opening. Sumiko stood there silently, pale and stony-faced. She gave him a long searching look before she shut the door on the dark room. Shikamaru barely caught the outline of a resting body on the bed.

Sumiko sighed and ran a hand through her hair before addressing him.

"She's asleep, I've given her something that should knock her out until the morning. I'll come by and check on her tomorrow."

Shikamaru forced himself to his feet.

"I'll do it. I'm not going anywhere tonight."

After another long look, Sumiko nodded. She opened her mouth to say something, but then suddenly seemed to think the better of it and left without a word.

* * *

Shikamaru's night was not as quiet as he had expected. Friends of Asuma and Kurenai came by in a steady stream offering condolences and small gifts, none of which Kurenai was conscious to accept. Shikamaru gave thanks on her behalf and watched the well-wishers leave quietly. Around midnight there came another knock at the door. He couldn't help but feel irritated – who called at this time of night? Not that he was sleeping – he was still plotting his next course of action.

It was Kakashi Hatake who waited behind the door. He was slouching against the hallway, looking as though he regularly visited widows in the middle of the night.

"Kurenai's asleep."

Shikamaru's voice seemed too loud for the hallway. Kakashi didn't bother to reply.

He cleared his throat.

"Sumiko was here earlier, she gave her something…She'll probably be back tomorrow…" His voice petered off. He wasn't sure what to say; whether Hatake was even here for the Sumiko woman.

There was silence for a moment, and then-,

"What's your plan?"

Kakashi sounded like he was asking about the weather.

"M-my plan?" Shikamaru stuttered.

He still had the lighter in his hand, and he spun it in his fingers nervously.

"You have that look." Kakashi answered simply. Shikamaru didn't bother asking what he meant. It was obviously written all over his face. Mai had seen it too.

"I'm going after them. I know how they fight.I have an idea."

* * *

Gai discovered Kakashi slumped in front of the memorial stone in the early hours of the morning. His head rested on his chest and his hands hung limply on top of his knees. Gai threw himself on the ground beside him.

"Well, well, Kakashi, fancy finding you here."

Kakashi said nothing.

"Looks like the rains are coming, you don't want to hang around here!" Gai said conversationally.

Kakashi still ignored him, though seemed to snap back from his day-dream. He ran a hand through his hair and opened his eyes.

"Have you seen Kurenai?" Gai asked. He tried to gauge just what state his friend was in, but the silent treatment made analysis somewhat difficult. The village knew what had happened outside the gates when Kakashi and Mai had returned, gossip was rife through certain shinobi circles.

Kakashi's past was no secret; he had lost his father, his teacher and his teammates. He had lost the last link to his past, twice, and now one of his oldest friends had died at the hands of the people that had left his girlfriend so damaged.

"No", Kakashi bit out.

A man could only take so much.

"And Mai?" Gai asked hesitantly.

Kakashi scowled and shook his head. Gai pursed his lips. He wasn't sure were to go from here. It was Tsunade that had contacted him when she couldn't reach Kakashi or Mai. Not that she had needed to; Gai was halfway out the door to find them when she had called.

"Shikamaru's going after them." Kakashi muttered.

Gai was hardly surprised. Young people were always so impulsive. He watched Kakashi's face carefully, before he realised what was going on.

"When?"

"Day after tomorrow, after the memorial."

Kakashi wouldn't meet his eye.

"So naturally you're going with him?"

Kakashi didn't bother to answer.

"Oh, well that's a great idea – going after an unknown enemy with a few children as back-up. I'm sure that will go really well. I'm sure Asuma would have wanted him" Gai snapped.

"Who knows what he wanted. I don't think he'd be that impressed with me letting his kids charge off after Akatsuki alone. They're hardly children, Gai, Shikamaru and his team are Chunin – we were even younger than them when we -,"

"Don't give me that! Those were different times! We were in a war for Gods sake!"

Kakashi finally looked at him, incredulous.

"Gai – what do you think is going on here?"

Gai glared back for a moment, before slumping further into his vest. Of course he recognized that path things were taking. He felt seven years old again, watching his home draw closer and closer to war. He made one last attempt at caution.

"What do you think Mai will do when she finds out?"

"Nothing."

Gai snorted at him.

"She didn't do anything when she found out that Asuma went after Akatsuki." Kakashi said sharply.

Gai shook his head to himself and got up.

"Yeah. Right. Except we have an already unstable Jinchuuriki that has disappeared from her apartment, who has just found out that one of her best friends has been murdered. No reaction my arse, Kakashi."

Gai walked away, his brain already coming up with possible locations she could be hiding.

Before he reached the edge of the forest, he called over his shoulder.

"Also, I have a sneaking suspicion that she feels differently about you than she did about Asuma. Just saying."

* * *

Kakashi sat at a table towards the back of the Jounin barracks, listening to previous teammates of Asuma talk of old missions and close calls. He avoided the eyes pointed in his direction – Shikamaru and his teammates were shooting him nervous glances and Gai had been glaring at him for a straight five minutes.

Mai had not attended the service.

He'd thought she would make an appearance to support Kurenai, and was surprised when she didn't. It hadn't had any effect on the woman, it would seem. She stared straight ahead, stoic and steely, but did not laugh at Asuma's war stories, or show any sign of understanding what was going on.

There had been one moment, standing at the commemorative plaque where she had swayed, but he and Shikamaru had her by the elbows before anyone noticed.

A friend sitting with Kurenai stood suddenly and helped her get up. The Jounin talking paused, offering his hand to support her.

Kurenai didn't quite make the crowd's eye, but demurely thanked them all for coming and excused herself from the wake.

Shinobi stood or nodded as she passed, the man in front picking up his story again. Kakashi stood when Kurenai passed, and for the first time that evening she met his eye. The corners of her mouth twitched, and she squeezed his arm when she passed.

Kakashi waited for a short time after she left before he made his excuses and darted out the nearest exit. It was still raining from the night before, but he would gladly take poor weather over sitting in a room full of reminiscing old men. He drew his vest in against the cold and pointed himself towards home.

That was just how he felt – old.

He wasn't even thirty.

He wondered just how many more of these things he would have to attend. Kakashi tried to shake himself from the morbid train of thought, but failed.

His mind brightly reeled through the names of people lost, with Asuma punctuating the end.

He was almost home when a flash of something caught his eye. He paused, looking in the direction he thought it had come from.

For a moment he thought he had imagined it, when a white light flashed again, just visible above the surrounding trees.

It was coming from the memorial site.

Kakashi was on the rooftops before the thought even occurred. He shot towards the area, never losing his footing on the slick roof tiles.

Even from here he could see something was wrong with the normally immaculate grounds.

He leapt down to the worn track that lead to the grounds, and saw just how much of an understatement he had made.

Trees lay in splinters around the clearing and massive areas of earth had been gauged out, the rain creating pools of mud throughout the area.

Mai stood in the midst of the carnage – glowing with white chakra. She repelled the very rain and earth with her anger. Craters formed under her feet as she moved; the only part of the area lacking destruction was the memorial stone.

She stilled suddenly before swinging around to face it, as though Kakashi's very thoughts had reminded her. Kakashi was running before the thought had time to form entirely in her brain.

"Maia enough!" He shouted over the storm. He was at her side in a flash and made to grab her shoulder. Mai turned all of a sudden, gripped his wrist and threw him across the field. Kakashi landed on his feet, but had no time for surprise; he now had Maia's full attention. She darted towards him, keeping low to the ground. She became nothing more than a streak of light to the human eye only just manage to tear away his headband before she charged into him.

The forced threw Kakashi backwards, but he rolled to his feet and managed to evade the following attack. He could now see her, wrapped deep inside white chakra that pulsed so angrily. She had him fixed in her sights.

"Mai!" Kakashi tried to call to her, but the noise of the wind and rain drowned his words. She started to change her posture to attack again and Kakashi wrenched his headband up. He saw her glowing fist hurtle towards him, and barely managed to duck. The momentum of her attack carried her over him in an arc. She sprung upright with her hands and came at him again.

Kakashi didn't bother to move this time; she leapt above him and brought her leg crashing down through his forehead.

The clone disappeared, and before shock could register, Kakashi had Mai pinned from behind.

"Get the fuck off me!" Her voice has hoarse with exhaustion. Her chest heaved and her muscles trembled from the strain of the last hour.

She fought to shrug him off, turned and battered his chest with her tired fists, screamed a chorus of curses at him. He held her tighter as the rain poured harder. Her words were drowned out, but it didn't matter – she was barely coherent. Her anger and grief simply poured from her in a flood until finally the glow around her started to fade.

The tension began to leave her body and Kakashi relaxed his hold accordingly. Maia's words petered off, and her body went limp. The passion that had been all over her face mere moments ago was gone, and all that was left was bleak resignation.

She wouldn't look him in the eye, just stared blankly at his chest. With the power from the Hou-ou gone and with it the heat the kekkei-genkai generated, Kakashi realised just how cold it was. The wind picked up further, and he could feel Mai begin to shiver.

He wasn't altogether certain what to do next – should he take her to the hospital? Was this the kind of meltdown Shizune experienced all that time ago?

He watched her carefully – this at least seemed to register with Mai and she turned her face away stubbornly.

No; while the hospital was probably the best place for her, Mai would surely kill him eventually for turning her back over to Tsunade. A particularly icy blast of wind shot down Kakashi's spine and he decided to at least start moving.

Keeping a grip on Mai's upper arm, he steered her towards the exit of the clearing. Taking her all the way home was out of the question in this weather – and she would surely lock him out. Leaving her to her own devices was not a viable option at this point.

Her eyes were glassy and her face was colourless. Kakashi wrapped his arm around Mai's shoulders to try to keep her warm, and made up his mind to return to his apartment.

Mai would be safe, Tsunade would be happy and he would sleep on the couch.

* * *

She stood near catatonic in the middle of his bathroom. She looked unsteady on her feet and her colour had not come back. Kakashi tried to avoid studying her so intently, and busied himself with turning on the shower.

Mai still showed no signs of life, or gave an indication that she realised the shower was even on. Kakashi hesitated, wondering whether the decent thing to do was to put her in there fully clothed. He stood awkwardly in front of her for a moment, before making up his mind – she would have to get changed at some point, and standing around in wet clothes would chill her further.

"Mai, you need to get into the shower", he knew it was a pathetic attempt to encourage her to take action, and when she showed no sign of having heard him, he stepped forward and lifted her arms above her head. There was a faint flicker of life in her eyes when he did that, but the was no further reaction when he pulled her shirt over her head.

Steam fogged up the bathroom, and Kakashi quickly undressed the rest of her, leaving Mai's underwear on for modesties sake. He guided her into the shower, thinking grimly of a time where Mai would have laughed at his prudish behavior.

He stepped away, intending to give her some privacy, but a last look over his shoulder stopped him in his tracks.

Mai stood under the downpour, shoulders slumped, arms folded tightly over her stomach with her gaze directed to the floor. It had been years since he had seen her naked, and the change in her body haunted him. His Sharingan picked up every new scar, no matter how faint, and seared the images to his brain. The razor edge of a hipbone, a shoulder blade – she looked ready to break.

Hell, maybe she just had.

She swayed slightly on the spot.

Before he even thought it through he was dropping his vest and shirt to the floor and kicked off his shoes. She swayed again when Kakashi stepped in front of her. He steadied her by the shoulders and held her there for a moment. Kakashi watched her carefully, and though she wouldn't meet his eye, she didn't seem likely to kick him through a wall either.

Mai continued to shiver under the downpour, and Kakashi pulled her tighter into his arms. He suppressed a sigh; he would need to take her to Tsunade in the morning. An episode like this would see her back in the hospital, despite the fact it was triggered by grief.

Asuma.

Kakashi pushed the thought of his friend from his mind; he couldn't think about it now. However, Maia's reaction to the news forced Gai's warning back into his head: _"I have a sneaking suspicion that she feels differently about you than she did about Asuma. Just saying."_

* * *

It all came screaming back into focus.

Searing little needles jabbed at my near-naked flesh, though I shivered from the cold. My cheek rested on smooth pale skin and his thumb unconsciously traced a random pattern on my shoulder.

Slowly my muscles unwound; relaxing after months of tension. I let out a breath I felt like I had been holding since I returned to Konoha.

I peered up at Kakashi. This man was an enigma. Moments ago I had fought him tooth and nail, and now he was holding me up in his shower, washing the mud from my skin. His eyes were shut and his head was tilted down towards me. I looked at him through fresh eyes. Before I had seen only the damage I inflicted; the strain the years apart had put on him. Now I saw the strength that lay beneath all that. His heart beat steadily and he breathed slow and deep. I knew that the eyes set in dark circles were sharp and steely. Eyes that would always seek out and watch over me.

I reached out and traced the curve of his cheek with my fingers. He opened his eyes slowly and studied my face. His gaze was so direct, it made me want to avert my eyes in shame, but I forced myself to be still. So many things bubbled behind my lips. I wanted to apologize, beg forgiveness and make impossible promises to try to mend what had happened between us.

One look from him kept me silent – he already knew all these things. I closed the distance between us, running my hands down the nape of neck. He tightened his hold around me, wrapping his arms around my waist. His head dropped into the curve of my neck.

I breathed him in.

I wanted to take away the grief that hung about him, to comfort him and make him forget. I considered administering the same chakra sedative I had given Kurenai when she begged me to make it all go away.

The thought slipped away again – there was no way he'd hide from this, he never had before.

I felt the hot water begin to run out and reached out to turn the shower off. Kakashi released me, but didn't move any further. He could see the sudden change in me – and I wanted to ease the tension by joking about magical showers.

But it felt like the last time, when he had climbed through my window from a storm, battered and exhausted.

I finally felt calm and focused, and the pangs of anxiety and terror I had felt for so long seemed like a distant memory.

Perhaps there was peace to be gained from surrender.

I stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around myself and offered another to Kakashi. He took it, but there was still an air of uncertainty about him. I gave him a small smile, before I gathered our wet things to put in the dryer.

I wriggled out of my wet underwear and chucked that in too.

_Now what._

"Here."

I turned at the sound of Kakashi's voice; he held out a set of training clothes. I took them gratefully, and changed with my back to him. The pants were slightly too long and I rolled them up to my ankles.

When I turned around, he was standing in the doorway, watching me uncertainly. I bit my lip, equally unsure of what to do.

After a few moments of gawking uncomfortably at each other, I took a few hesitant steps towards him. He shifted slightly, letting me pass through to the bedroom. I climbed into his bed, and finally felt the ache that was burning my muscles. He followed me to the other side, but came no further.

"I'm okay", I said to him gently, toying with the sleeve of his borrowed shirt.

Finally he lay down beside me, still watching me from the corner of his eye. He still expected me to panic and run.

Or attack.

Guilt seared through me again, but I fought it back this time. I wriggled closer and wrapped my arms around him.

He was still for a moment, before he pulled me in tightly. I released a breath I hadn't realised I'd been holding.

I relaxed into his hold entirely, resting my cheek on his chest. My exhaustion was starting to overwhelm me and my eyelids began to drop. Kakashi's breathing slowed gradually, and the rhythm lulled me closer to sleep.

My dreams began to overpower my reality, and I closed my eyes to the flickering images of Itachi, Akatsuki and Asuma and finally began to rest.


End file.
